LOLA Awards
Read about the PHLAFF LOLA Awards and explore past winners & honorees.
About the Awards
The LOLA Awards were established in 2014 to recognize and honor cinematic achievements in filmmaking in the Latino and Latinx creative community. Films that receive the LOLA Award accordingly feature strong artistic direction, moving performances, and compelling storytelling.
Award winners are screened annually at the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, including winners of the LOLA Youth Salon Award, a distinct award category celebrating young filmmakers.
Each year, the LOLA Award focuses on a different genre, topic, or story. Past themes have included: documentaries, LGBTQIA+ stories, women and womxn stories (including but not limited to the stories of ciswomen, trans women, and other femmes), and more.
2017 LOLA Youth Award Winner — To Serve and Protect
2023 Awardees
Mother of Color
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Dawn Jones Redstone
First Voice Generation
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Cynthia Martinez
El Caribe en mí / The Caribbean in Me
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Juan Carlos Garía AKA JC Garpadi
POR LOS QUE VIENEN (FOR THOSE TO COME)
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Mikey Cordero and Frances Medina
La Comuna (The Commune)
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Linda D. Maymí
BronX BandA: Arturo O'Farrill & The Bronx
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Taylor Krauss
Mom
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Xun Sero
Ro & the Stardust
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Eunice Levis
Daughter of the Sea
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Alexis C. Garcia
Ritmo
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Stacy Pascal Gaspard
La Capa Azul (The Blue Cape)
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Alejandra López
SPIC
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Heidi Miami Marshall
When Mama and Me Lived Outside
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Peter Menchini
¡Dímelo Rapeando!
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi
2022 Awardees
To read more about our 2022 LOLA Awarded Films, see our 2022 LOLA Award Nominees — Los Shorts page and our 2022 LOLA Award Nominees — Los Features page.
Fuego
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Christine Rodriguez
La Ciguapa Siempre
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Monica Moore - Suriyage
Los Patines (The Roller Skates)
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Loren Escandon
Ni Aquí / Ni Allá
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Ley Comas
The Ritual to Beauty (La belleza ritual)
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Shenny De Los Angeles and Maria Marrone
Omara
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Hugo Perez
SANTOS – Skin to Skin
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Kathryn Golden
Sugar Cane Malice (Mal de caña)
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Juan A. Zapata
2021 Awardees
To read more about our 2021 LOLA Awarded Films, see our Award Winners & Official Selections page.
La Nave del Olvido
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Nicol Ruiz Benavides
Negra
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Medhin Tewolde Serrano
Joyride
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Edwin Alexis Gómez
Superestar
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Daniel Larios
When You Clean a Stranger’s Home
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Sharon Arteaga
#Whitina
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
J. Sean Smith
Madalena
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Madiano Marcheti
Nudo Mixteco
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Ángeles Cruz
Nuevo Rico
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Kristian Mercado Figueroa
Por Fin
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Lorena Gordon
Sol
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Andy Alvarez
Soy Un Vampiro
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Sofia Garza-Barba
Tercera Trinidad
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Yara Travieso
Alas (Wings)
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Llaima Suwani Sanfiorenzo
Breaking Through
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Kira Kalush
Elena
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Michèle Stephenson
Full Beat
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Kase Peña
iGilbert
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Adrian Martinez
La Casa de Mama Icha
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Oscar Molina
2020 Awardees
Todos Cambiamos (Everybody Changes)
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Arturo Montenegro
Rainha de lapa (Queen of Lapa)
WINNER — LOS FEATURES
Carolina Monnerat & Theodore Collatos
Retablo
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS FEATURES
Alvaro Delgado Aparicio
La amante (The Mistress)
WINNER — LOS SHORTS
Pati Cruz
Mariachis con pantalones (Mariachis with Pants)
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Sonia Fritz
Vuelta al Sol (Birthday Boy)
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Judith Corro
La Flaca (The Bony Lady)
HONORABLE MENTION — LOS SHORTS
Thiago Zanato & Adriana Barbosa
2019 Awardees
Councilwoman
WINNER
Margo Guernsey
25 Texans in the Land of Lincoln
HONORABLE MENTION
Ellen Brodsky
Waking Dream
HONORABLE MENTION
Theo Rigby
Empate
HONORABLE MENTION
Sérgio de Carvalho
Las Chuntá
HONORABLE MENTION
Genevieve Roudane
Después de María, las 2 orillas (After Maria, the 2 Shores)
HONORABLE MENTION
Sonia Fritz
I Am Arbesu
HONORABLE MENTION
Christiane Arbesu
Recipes from Yuíza's Kitchen
HONORABLE MENTION
Jessica Arce
2018 Awardees
Ser Grande
WINNER
Karen Rossi
Conexiones: Los Cenzontles In Cuba — A Musical Journey of Connection
HONORABLE MENTION
James Hall
What Happens to a Dream Deferred
HONORABLE MENTION
Scott Boehm
The Sillar Stonecutters
HONORABLE MENTION
Alfredo Benavides Watmough
Waste Dreams
HONORABLE MENTION
Michael Brims
LUTAH A Passion for Architecture: A Life in Design
HONORABLE MENTION
Kum-Kum Bhavnani
2017 Awardees
Olancho
WINNER
Christopher Valdes & Ted Griswold
Monger
HONORABLE MENTION
Jeff Zorrilla
Friendship
HONORABLE MENTION
Rosie Berrido
2016 Awardees
Normal
WINNER — BEST SHORT FILM
Vadim Lasca
The Land of Exodus
HONORABLE MENTION — SOCIAL CHANGE FILM
Skinner Myers
Santo: A Dance Narrative on Domestic Violence
HONORABLE MENTION — EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Stephanie Ramones
2015 Awardees
Squeezebox
WINNER — BEST SHORT FILM
Sam Lerma
2014 Awardees
Aqui Y Alla: Crossing Borders
WINNER — BEST DOCUMENTARY
Michelle Angela Ortiz
O Pacote (The Package)
WINNER — BEST SHORT FILM
Rafael Adair
Efeito Casimiro (Casimiro Effect)
WINNER — EXPERIMENTAL
Clarice Saliby