About Us
Cinelandia began with two things: a love of movies and a growing suspicion that finding something truly worth watching had become harder than it should be.
We were tired of spending 45 minutes scrolling through streaming platforms only to give up and rewatch the same thing again. But we were also frustrated by how Latino films are discussed, usually in bursts tied to awards season or Hispanic Heritage Month. Then the conversation moves on.
We wanted something less surface-level, rooted in expertise, and genuinely invested in Latino storytelling. So we built it ourselves.
What Is Cinelandia?
Cinelandia is an independent media outlet and tastemaking collective focused on U.S. Latino, Latin American, and Iberian movies.
What began in 2014 as a site tracking Latino film screenings at theaters and festivals across the country has evolved into a newsletter-first publication dedicated to recommendations, criticism, and interviews from Latino writers who know this world inside and out.
We help answer a deceptively simple question: What should I watch tonight? Not with an algorithm doing the curation and not with empty praise, but with taste and standards. We tell you what’s worth your time, what’s worth your ticket money, and what’s probably not.
And because we write from within the culture, not from a distance, our criticism comes with context. Political context. Cultural context. Industry context. And sometimes, personal context. Latino cinema deserves all of it.
Why We Started This
Cinelandia’s Latino Film Newsletter was founded by a group of unemployed and underemployed freelance journalists who were tired of watching smart, culturally grounded film criticism disappear from newspapers and the internet. Media layoffs and shrinking arts coverage. Editors asking writers to chase clicks instead of substance. You know the story.
So we decided to build the kind of film publication we actually wanted to read. One that believes audiences deserve discernment. We are not a fan account, and we are not a PR machine. Some movies deserve the hype. Some don’t. That distinction matters to us.
Who We Are
Collectively, our contributors have written for publications like the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Indiewire, Slate, Variety, RogerEbert.com, Remezcla, and Vulture, among others. But we’re more than entertainment journalists and critics. We’ve also been festival programmers, curators, editors, and cultural workers across the film industry, including at institutions like the Sundance Institute and Film at Lincoln Center.
That experience shapes how we watch movies. We care about the final film, yes. But we also care about the systems around it. Which stories get funded? Which ones get ignored? That perspective is part of our work.
Learn more about our writers here.
What We Cover
We focus heavily on independent Latino cinema because too much of it gets overlooked by mainstream media. Especially films by Afro-Latino, Indigenous, queer, disabled, immigrant, and women filmmakers whose work often falls outside the industry's narrow idea of what Latino storytelling should look like.
We’re interested in movies that take risks. Movies that center the marginalized. Movies that innovate the form. And when the world feels like a dumpster fire, we want movies that bring us joy.
Sometimes the best film we watch all year premieres at a tiny festival and disappears two weeks later. We want you to know about it before it vanishes.
Writers First
Cinelandia is independent, and that independence is integral to our mission. We believe writers deserve to be paid fairly for their labor. Not exposure. Not prestige. Actual money.
That means building a publication where contributors are compensated with a living wage and where editorial decisions are not shaped by advertisers, studios, or tech platforms chasing engagement metrics.
We favor editorial rigor, , and with our audience.
Why We Need Paid Subscribers
Good journalism is expensive. Paying writers fairly is expensive. And traveling to film festivals is expensive (really expensive).
We’re trying to build something sustainable without corporate owners, private equity, or toxic leadership at the helm. That means we need readers, not venture capital, at the center of this.
Your membership helps us pay writers better, publish more ambitious work, attend more festivals, and stay independent. It also helps keep culturally literate criticism alive online, which frankly feels increasingly rare.
What Members Get
Paid members receive:
Access to our private community chat
Quarterly video calls with contributors and editors
Our weekly email newsletter in your inbox with:
One theatrical and one streaming pick
One in-depth essay from Cinelandia's writers
More importantly, members help build the kind of film publication we all wish existed. One that centers Latino filmmakers and their stories.