The South Texas International Film Festival (STXIFF) is back in Edinburg with screenings of international, national and local short films, documentaries and workshops.
In an effort to promote the visual arts in the Rio Grande Valley, the City of Edinburg is hosting the festival through Saturday.
It is a competitive international film festival that features categories such as RGV Film, Short Film, Feature-Length Film, Documentary Film, Music Video, Animated Film and Student Film. It also features a 48-hour film competition.
After being held virtually the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Relations Chair Brenda Garza told The Rider they are more than ready to bring it back in person for the eighth anniversary of the festival.
“We’re finally back in person,” Garza said. “And we’re just happy to be providing networking events for not only our local residents and filmmakers, but also for those that are coming from all over the states and across the globe.”
The festival began at 5 p.m. today at the Cinemark Bistro in Edinburg with a red carpet event featuring directors and actors. The event was followed by screenings of short films such as “Dream Carriers,” “This Is Who I Was” and “Somos Borderlands,” and a question-and-answer session.
Valente Rodriguez, known for his role as Ernie Cardenas on “The George Lopez Show,” will be present Friday for STXIFF Student Day. Presentations and workshops start at 9 a.m. Friday in the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, located at 118 Paseo Del Prado Ave. Some workshops include acting for film and special effects makeup.
Garza encourages students to attend as many workshops as they can.
“Whether you are a film enthusiast or you are into creating one or being in it, this is, like, for everybody and this can be from little kids to senior citizens,” she said. “There’s such good workshops and I invite everybody to go.”
The workshops will be followed by screenings of international films, short films, student films and documentaries, with most having a Q&A session after the film.
Other events, such as a celebrity panel, screenings, Q&A sessions and workshops, will continue at 10 a.m. Saturday at the same location. Workshop topics range from casting for TV and film to inside acting.
The evening concludes with the STXIFF Red Carpet and Award Ceremony at 6 p.m.
Opening night and awards ceremony tickets can be purchased at stxiff.com/tickets. All workshops and screenings are free of charge.
“If you want to be in front of the camera or behind the camera … it’s such a great place for you to network,” Garza said. “And not only that, you can also not only network with your locals, but with people that are coming in from different parts of the country, as well as different parts of the world.”
