About Southern Currents & aluCine
Southern Currents is a Toronto-based non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating Latin American media arts. We champion underrepresented voices and foster public appreciation for Latinx Canadian arts through film screenings, panels, symposia, workshops, live performances, and art exhibitions.
For over 24 years, we have proudly hosted the aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival, North America’s premier showcase of independent Latin American cinema and media arts. aluCine features cutting-edge films, media installations, and performances that reflect the rich diversity of Latin culture both in Canada and globally.
Organizational History
Southern Currents Film & Video Collective was founded in July 1993 out of a collective awareness of the need for proper representation and preservation of Latin American culture. In 1995, Southern Currents staged the first Latin Short Film Festival of Canada, named Crossing Borders/Cruzando Fronteras. Since then, the organization has helped to produce and promote countless works made by Latin American artists living in Canada and the diaspora.
At the time of our founding, we were the only arts organization focusing on Latin film and new media in Canada. This primacy and firm establishment have allowed us to forge strong links with a wide range of artists and organizations, translating into impactful programs, a loyal audience, and broad networks.
Over the past 24 years, Southern Currents has emerged as a leading exhibitor of Latin American works, presenting over 600 premieres and more than 50 gallery installations at professional exhibition spaces in the Greater Toronto Area. The annual aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival showcases highly anticipated premieres of award-winning films alongside independent work by Latin American directors.
We recognize the gap in Latin American media arts representation despite its growing presence and increasing artistic quality. As the only Latin American media arts festival in Canada dedicated to independent productions, aluCine is a crucial platform for Latinx artists to network and present their work in a professional setting. We remain committed to fostering spaces where individuals can connect, engage, and experience the richness of Latin American culture.
Mission
Southern Currents champions the future of diverse storytelling in Canada by advocating for Latin American and Indigenous representation in media arts. We provide a public forum for artists and their work, fostering a deeper appreciation for Latin American and Indigenous cinema.
We are committed to showcasing the best Latinx 2SLGBTQ+ stories, offering audiences unique and meaningful film-based experiences. Our work plays a vital role in our communities' social, educational, and cultural health by connecting them with their stories.
Southern Current's mission is to promote and exhibit Latin American cinema in Canada and abroad. Our annual 5-day festival encourages cross-cultural dialogue while celebrating contemporary Latin American, Latin-Canadian, and Indigenous filmmaking.
Our mandate is to foster an appreciation of motion pictures as a powerful medium of art, education, and social impact. We create platforms that unite artists, curators, and audiences across Canada, Latin America, and beyond. Through our festival, year-round screenings, and events, we support the growth and visibility of Latin and Indigenous artists while enriching Canada’s cultural landscape.
What We Do
- Annual aluCine Festival: A ten-day celebration of Latin film and media arts featuring screenings, installations, panels, and performances.
- Year-Round Programming: Screenings, workshops, and symposiums designed to promote the development of Latin film and culture in Toronto.
- International Exchange: Presenting Canadian works abroad and bringing global Latinx perspectives to Canada.
- Education: For over 20 years, Southern Currents has created many education initiatives to provide Latin Canadian artists with the necessary skills and knowledge to explore career opportunities in the media arts.
aluCine serves as a vital platform for Latin artists whose work exists outside mainstream media, ensuring their voices are amplified internationally.
Values
Southern Currents Film & Video Collective is guided by a set of core values that shape its artistic vision, organizational practices, and relationships with artists, audiences, and communities:
Artistic Innovation and Public Engagement
We support and present innovative, interdisciplinary practices in film and media arts, creating critical spaces for dialogue, experimentation, and public engagement with contemporary Latin American and diasporic perspectives.
Artistic Excellence and Curatorial Integrity
We are committed to curatorial rigor and the presentation of high-quality works that reflect the diversity, complexity, and evolving nature of Latin American, Latinx, Afro-Latin, Black, and Indigenous artistic practices.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
We prioritize equity by centering artists and communities who have been historically underrepresented in the arts. Our programming and operations are informed by anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and culturally responsive approaches that support fair representation and meaningful participation across all levels of engagement.
Accessibility and Barrier Reduction
We work to reduce financial, cultural, linguistic, and physical barriers to participation. Through free and pay-what-you-can programming, accessible venues, and inclusive communication strategies, we strive to ensure equitable access to our activities for diverse audiences.
Decolonial and Ethical Practices
We are committed to decolonial approaches that challenge dominant narratives and support narrative sovereignty. We engage artists and communities with care, respect, and accountability, fostering ethical relationships and collaborative knowledge exchange.
Community, Belonging, and Sector Development
We foster a sense of belonging by creating welcoming, respectful environments where artists and audiences feel seen and valued. We contribute to the development of the media arts sector by supporting professional exchange, mentorship, and cross-cultural collaboration within Canada and internationally.
Commitment
Supporting Latin artists is central to our programming. As the number, quality, and depth of Latinx media arts continue to grow, we remain steadfast in our advocacy for Latinx creators. Our festival and year-round activities help build a stronger Latinx-Canadian cultural identity while ensuring positive representation.
Artistic Vision
Latin American migration to Canada is rich and multifaceted, encompassing a wide range of national origins, ethnicities, and socio-occupational backgrounds. Our artistic vision embraces this diversity by amplifying multiple voices and heritages while fostering innovation and experimentation in film and media arts.
We challenge oversimplified and dominant narratives by providing a platform for Latin American and Latinx-Canadian artists to showcase their work. In doing so, we expand the very notion of diversity within the Canadian cultural landscape. Our curatorial focus includes both established and emerging Latinx-Canadian artists, as well as Latin American artists in the diaspora. Through our programs, we cultivate critical discussions and deeper mutual understanding of the vast and evolving Latin film and media arts culture.
As cultural ambassadors, we strive to present and contextualize high-quality artistic works for broad and diverse audiences, both nationally and internationally. Southern Currents is committed to fostering a positive and nuanced portrayal of Latinx-Canadian culture through thoughtfully curated events and initiatives.
While the Spanish language serves as a common bond for many, our community is shaped by distinct political, socio-economic, and cultural experiences. This diversity fosters unity through complexity. Our artistic vision reflects this reality by challenging reductive representations and embracing the depth of Latin American and Latinx identities.
aluCine is dedicated to creating inclusive spaces for dialogue among film, video, and new media artists, curators, and audiences across Canada, Latin America, and the global Latinx diaspora. Through our work, we continue to bridge cultures, foster artistic excellence, and ensure that diverse voices remain at the forefront of contemporary media arts.
aluCine is one of North America's most prominent Latin media arts festivals, showcasing innovative and independent films across all genres and presenting new media installations and performances. Each year, we feature high-quality media art that engages with a broad spectrum of issues, identities, and stories from Latin America, Canada, and beyond.
aluCine amplifies the work of emerging and established Latin artists in Canada and the Diaspora through an annual festival, year-round cultural programming, and touring exhibitions in Latin America.
As part of our 25th anniversary, we invite Canadian-based Latin American artists, media makers, filmmakers, curators, creatives, and scholars to contribute to the Second Latin American Media Arts Symposium (LAMAS) from October 14 to 17, 2025.
Charitable Number: 896725355RR0001
Legal Name: Southern Currents Film & Video Collective
