Award-Winning Documentary ‘What We Leave Behind’ to Premiere at LALIFF

What We Leave Behind, a documentary by Mexican-American Director Iliana Sosa, will premiere this week at Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) happening June 1st through June 5th, 2022. After its successful performance at SXSW, winning a Fandor New Voices Award and the Lone Star Award, the film will showcase in person at LALIFF on Sunday, June 5, 4:30pm at the TCL Chinese Theaters, Los Angeles. What We Leave Behind is a Love Letter from Sosa to her grandfather and his homeland.

At the age of 89, Julián takes one last bus ride to El Paso, Texas, to visit his daughters and their children—a lengthy trip he has made without fail every month for decades. After returning to rural Mexico, he quietly starts building a house in the empty lot next to his home. Over several years, director Sosa filmed her grandfather’s work, gently sifting through Julián’s previously unspoken memories brought up by the construction project and revealing both the daily pragmatism and poetry of his life. What We Leave Behind unfolds as a love letter to her grandfather, as well as an intimate and insightful exploration of Iliana’s own relationship with him and his homeland.

About the director:
Iliana Sosa is a documentary and narrative fiction filmmaker based in Austin, Texas. A former Bill Gates Millennium Scholar, she was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and she is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. A former Bill Gates Millennium Scholar, she holds a MFA in film production and directing from UCLA. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Steven Bochco Fellowship, the Hollywood Foreign Press Award, the Edie and Lew Wasserman Fellowship and the National Hispanic Foundation of the Arts Scholarship, among others.

LALIFF Box Office Location:
TCL Chinese 6; 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028

Box Office Hours of Operation:
Tuesday, May 31 – 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Wednesday, June 1 – 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Thursday, June 2 – 6:00 PM to 9:45 PM
Friday, June 3 – 6:00 PM to 9:45 PM
Saturday, June 4 – 12:00 PM to 9:45PM
Sunday, June 5 – 12:00 PM to 9:45PM

What We Leave Behind can also be watched online during LALIFF on Sunday, June 5th, all day (only available in California).

Read the full article here.