look at her
A FESTIVAL for
women of color to be seen & Heard
The MIRALA FILM FESTIVAL (MFF) showcases the work of independent women of color filmmakers amidst the beautiful backdrop of southern California. MFF is about women of color, filmmakers, audiences and film professionals establishing a relationship and supporting underrepresented filmmakers in film.
OuR VENUE
Due to unforeseen events at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills venue we have had to move the festival to The Kult:LA!
The new venue is located in downtown LA. Don’t worry the date and time will stay the same. Please make sure you and your guests update your travel plans! We are happy to bring Women of Color films to the heart of LA.
Learn more about this incredible venue below.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 SPONSORS!
Presenting Sponsors
Founders Circle Sponsors
COMMUNITY SPONSORS
2026 FIlms
Film Block #1 (1:06)- Alliance Women Directors
Silicon Valley Girl (13:39) – a short film inspired by Yeon Jin’s experience as a young, female engineer in Silicon Valley.
This film is a psychological thriller about the high stakes world of Silicon Valley, seen through the eyes of Chloe Cho, a young Korean-American female engineer. She grapples with her insecurity, ambition, and desire to belong in a highly competitive, male-dominated workplace. It’s a story that dives into the cost of ambition and what happens when the pressure to succeed turns into an all-consuming obsession.
Camping (7:08) – Music video for and by artist Adelaide Pilar. The song is a medley of the 3 most popular songs from the Rocky Trilogy rearranged into the Latin style of Cumbia. (“Gonna Fly Now” aka “The Rocky Theme”, “Eye of the TIger”, and “The Final Countdown”) The video is a Chicano themed parody of workout scenes from the Rocky Movies as well as musician performances.
72 (14:45) – It’s New York City 1972 and Cuban immigrant Gloria Cienfuegos’s life and New Year’s Eve party are upended when her 18-year-old daughter Viv announces that she’s being sworn in that week as an American citizen, creating a showdown between the two women.
The Fires We Play With (9:51) – A married couple navigates the complexities of love and desire in a world where technology blurs the lines between fantasy and reality.
Jules (20:00) – Jules is in a relationship with Clutch, an ex-motocross racer whose career ended prematurely due to an injury during a pivotal race. As a result of Clutch’s injury, he has forbidden Jules to continue riding motocross. In an effort to keep her sanity and freedom, Jules continues to go to the motocross track and ride behind Clutch’s back. While there Jules meets Rome, an attractive racer with a newfound relentless affinity towards Jules. Rome not only rides motocross but he also pushes Jules to do the same. Clutch catches wind of Jules’ disobedience which leads to Jules finding herself caught in a love triangle between Clutch and her own.
Film Block #2 (54:00) - Student Shorts
The Custodian (13:30) – Pablo, a young Latino janitor, has worked at a boxing gym for a year and needs more money to support his Abuela, who urgently needs surgery for aggressive cancer. His boss, Trevor, offers him extra shifts but reveals a dark secret: the gym transforms into an underground fight club at night. Pablo’s job is to clean the gruesome aftermath of brutal fights.
Desperate, he realizes the only way to make enough money in time is to fight Trevor’s son, Burly, the club’s undefeated and ruthless champion. After convincing another fighter to step aside, Pablo secretly swaps Burly’s steroids with his Abuela’s sleeping pills before the match.
In the ring, Burly initially overpowers Pablo, but the pills take effect, and Pablo seizes the moment. Both land simultaneous hits, but Pablo recovers faster and wins. He takes the money, leaves the corrupt gym for good, and gives it to his Abuela, promising her—and himself—a brighter, non-violent future.
Before Adoracion Takes Over (6:10) – On the morning of her first day of senior year, 17-year-old Adoración dreams of strutting through school in her boldest look yet-until she wakes up to her mom’s constant reminders of how a “proper girl” should dress. Caught between her mother’s traditional expectations and her own evolving sense of identity, Adoración rebels through fashion, transforming her dad’s work jeans into a statement of self-expression. As she steps out the door, she reclaims her confidence–ready to take on the world, one outfit at a time.
Algún Dia (12:11) – An astrophysics-obsessed teen and a mother who’d do anything to protect her kid struggle to find shelter on Christmas Eve, testing their bond and commitment to their dreams.
Fading Summer (13:23) – Coming-of-age story about young moviemakers trying to resolve their troubled friendships while making a short film.
Second Chance (8:39) – An inspired young filmmaker who witnessed a disturbing incident at school looks inside Juvenile Hall and Court, through the moving account of a juvenile offender and his parents, as well as the insights of the judge, attorneys and probation officer. Second Chance takes a step towards better understanding, compassion and ultimately, hope for juveniles who are some of the most vulnerable in our society, and who are also part of its future.
Film Block #3 (1:15:24) - Being Olimpia
Being Olimpia (1:15:24) – Olimpia Coral Melo did not set out to become a feminist icon. The humiliation after her sex-tape went viral, made her want to give up her own name. She spent thirteen years promoting a law against cyber sex violence in Mexico. Now, as Olimpia Law reaches strongly throughout Latin America, she’ll have to reconcile with her wounds and retrieve the name that shame tried to take from her.
Film Block #4 (1:04:42) - Narrative / Music 1
Pandaal (16:03) – A female pimp, dispensing her own brand of justice by pimping out abusive men, must confront her darkest secrets when a new case brings her haunting past to light.
There’s a Devil Inside Me (15:00) – After a Catholic confirmation class, Teresa, a devilish teen, pretends to be a nun but things go sideways when she’s mistaken for a real one.
NO (6:46) – A champion riding high on drugs, fame and a new world title meets his match when a woman rejects him, triggering a brutal, no-rules showdown in a nightclub restroom.
Ruya (7:38) – When a T’boli dreamweaver goes into a coma, her anxious, insomniac daughter must dream and communicate with Fu Dalu, the Spirit of Abaca, to pick up where her mom left off on the next t’nalak.
Just Wait (11:00) – A young wife fights to be heard by her husband as a hurricane rages outside their house and danger lurks inside.
Casandra “Selling Feet Pix HMU” – (3:00) A short music video starring Cassie Marin as Casandra, a young woman who sells Polaroids of herself—treated like commodities, exchanged with the ritual and precision of selling gold at a jewelry store—as part of her everyday journey of making it in the city. Shot entirely in Los Angeles with a two-person crew, the film embraces the bold, graphic lines and architecture of downtown LA, reflecting the director’s love for graphic design, as Casandra moves between her real identity and the character she performs to get paid, blurring the line between authenticity and performance.
Beautiful Blur (3:35) – A visual journey through the disoriented beauty of emotional vulnerability. Blending live performance with abstract dream sequences, the music video evokes the sensation of being ungrounded, light, intoxicated, and emotionally adrift. Through soft, cinematic visuals, it drifts through a haze of levitation, memory, and feeling, inviting the viewer to float inside the artist’s inner world. The song’s emotional weight is made tangible as performers rise, untethered by gravity, embodying the metaphor in motion.
Film Block #5 (1:06:29)- Narrative / Music 2
#1 Bad Dad – (11:20) Logline: A jaded ex-supervillain is visited by his long lost daughter and learns what being a father is all about.
Spill the Frijoles (10:27) – When new parents, Paola and Fabian, decide to keep their swapped parenting gender roles a secret from her huge Mexican family, they entangle themselves in a web of lies that keep getting worse and worse until it all inevitably explodes in their faces.
Arranca (15:00) – A mother and daughter duo dramatically impacted by dementia. Carmen is a 75 year old woman in the early stages of the disease. Laura, her eldest out of four children, lives a hectic life. But, she always makes time to take care of her mother. Things get more hectic for Laura when Carmen can’t find her precious emerald ring, a gift from her beloved husband Sebastian.
The Missing Ingredient (12:17) – In the midst of grief and juggling work demands, a mother strives to balance family responsibilities. When her efforts to create a special birthday cake for her daughter are thwarted, her late mother’s wisdom sheds light on the importance of cherishing family moments.
Do You Trust Me? (12:00) – Liz, a 27-year-old plus-size Latina who works as a server in her mother’s Guatemalan restaurant must confront her monotonous life when a familiar face from her past, Tony, walks through the door. What begins as an awkward encounter slowly unfolds into a beautiful rediscovery of old feelings, unspoken truths and the bittersweet possibilities of love. Through a series of quiet moments, warm breakfasts, and nostalgic conversations, Liz and Tony reconnect, not just with each other, but with the parts of themselves they had buried under time, hurt and hesitation.
The Rocky Cumbia (3:25) – Music video for and by artist Adelaide Pilar. The song is a medley of the 3 most popular songs from the Rocky Trilogy rearranged into the Latin style of Cumbia. (“Gonna Fly Now” aka “The Rocky Theme”, “Eye of the TIger”, and “The Final Countdown”) The video is a Chicano themed parody of workout scenes from the Rocky Movies as well as musician performances.
Blame My Memory (3:00) – After being ghosted, Valenttina takes revenge into her own hands. Through a series of calculated acts – sabotaging his work, his car, and his vanity – she dismantles his life piece by piece. With flashes of their past love turned obsession, her plan builds to a darkly comedic and satisfying finale that leaves him humiliated and exposed.
IN THE MEDIA
Watch a recap of last years festival
Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and to those who streamed the festival from around the world last year. Your energy and support made this year’s event truly unforgettable. Make your plans today for March 21st, 2026 in Beverly Hills, CA.
Missed the Festival? Check out the Event Recap on the HITKOR FrontRow platform.