In September of 2005, the second Orange County Latino Film Festival was held at the Metropolitan Fiesta Twin Theater in downtown Santa Ana.
In its second year the festival had more momentum, but saw that momentum pulled abruptly by its main sponsor, Vanguard Cinema, afterwards. There would not be a third festival.
Freyr Thor, one of the main organizers, said that the festival attracted more people in its first two years than the Los Angeles and San Diego International Latino Film Festivals did in their first two.
The outdoor opening night gala was held above the Fiesta Twin theater, outside of what now is the “Downtown Inc” main office. It, like 2004’s festival opening gala had a large Latino film industry reception, the likes of it not equaled again in Santa Ana thus far.
Although the OCLFF was a short-lived endeavor, it set a very high bar for new film festivals in Santa Ana like the OC Film Fiesta, which is heading into its third year, and the Santa Ana Indie Film Fest, which is seemingly Downtown Inc’s answer, though shoddy at best, to the OC Film Fiesta.
The OCLFF set that bar through the attracting of more celebrities and movie industry professionals and through more sponsorship. It was more commercially-oriented from the start and maybe overly ambitious, and that was its demise.
But for two years, the stars of Latino Hollywood and beyond descended on Santa Ana. Until the next meteor shower.
OCLFF Audience Award 2005
EL rey de los coleaderos, Directed by Héctor Hernández
2005 Feature-Length Films
Club eutanasia (Mexico 2004. Written & Directed by Agustín Oso Tapia)
Como voy a olvidarte (Ecuador, 2004. Directed by Bernardo Cañizares)
El mago (Mexico, 2004. Directed by Jaime Apariclor)
Manos libres (Mexico, 2005. Written & Directed by José Buil)
Mojados (USA/Mexico, 2004. Directed by Tommy Davis)
Puños rosas (Mexico, 2004. Directed by Beto Gómez. Written by Beto Gómez & Alfonso Suárez)
Parejas (Mexico, 2005. Written & Directed by Enrique Arroyo Schroder)
El rey de los coleaderos (OCLFF Audience Award Winner) Héctor Hernández & Elena Prado
Sin ton ni Sonia
Sobreviviente
La sombra del Sahuaro
El sueño del caimán (Mexico, 2003. Directed by Beto Gómez)
La tregua
Ver, oir, y callar
Cero y van cuatro
2005 Short Films:
Espíritu deportivo
La Noa de China
Pata de gallo
Super hero
Guest celebrities
Eduardo Santamarina
Susana González
Andrés Montiel
José Yenque
Louie Olivos Jr.
Industry
Moctezuma Esparza, Producer – “Selena”, “God’s & Generals”, “Walkout”
Héctor Hernández, Director – “El rey de los coleaderos, Los pajarracos”
Beto Gómez, Director – “El sueño del caimán,” “Puños rosas,” “Saving Private Pérez”
Santaniego 