Filadelfia Latin American Film Festival expands in second year

This weekend is the second annual Filadelfia Latin American Film Festival, featuring nine short films and features of Latin-American interest.

You may have missed the first one.

The first Filadelfia Latin-American Film Festival, last year, consisted of a single screening of a Brazilian film called “Things That are Not Told.” About 150 people saw it, says David Acosta, the festival co-director and co-founder. “We decided to do one film, and do a very soft launch.”

The Latino population is the fastest-growing demographic in Philadelphia. While existing festivals already feature some Hispanic content — and occasionally a film such as “No” starring Gael Garcia Bernal will have a theatrical run — Acosta says there is an appetite for more.

The Filadelfia festival will feature documentaries including “Unique Ladies,” about the only all-women low-rider car club in San Diego, and dramas such as “7 Boxes,” a taut thriller about a boy in Paraguay who must transport seven parcels of unknown content across a busy marketplace.

“The films that come in are productions from major Latin-American film-producing countries, but not with strong histories of massive-scaled film production [that] makes it to the United States,” said Acosta. “One example being “7 Boxes,” which did really well at major international film festivals but has not played in Philadelphia.”

The films will be screened throughout the weekend at the International House in University City, and the Gershwin Y in downtown Philadelphia. Several featured filmmakers will be in attendance.