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This year's festival and short film contest arrives with the theme "Community."

Mexico and the United States are connected by more than three thousand kilometers of border, $63 billion in remittances, nearly 38 million people of Mexican origin, and stories that need to be shared.

One of the aims of the Binational Kaleidoscope Contest and Festival, which began in 2022 when Arizona State University (ASU), the University of Guadalajara, and the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center came together to celebrate 200 years of bilateral relations, is to highlight these stories.

Kaleidoscope seeks to give voice to the vast array of stories generated between Mexico and the United States, focusing not just on the economic, political, commercial, and migratory exchanges that characterize the two nations but also on other narratives, explained Isabel Migoya Iriso, Senior Coordinator of ASU's Convergence Lab, to Heraldo USA.

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"What we wanted to do with this initiative is change the narrative about Mexico in the United States and the United States in Mexico. Often, discussions are reduced to topics like trade, migration, arms trafficking, or issues that seem very distant. We believe that we are more connected than we realize."

The 2023 edition received an impressive response, with 881 short films evaluated by a binational jury composed of notable figures from both the film and political spheres.

The three winning short films—My Hero, My Mother by Miguel Barrios; Enough by Susana Montoya Quinchia; and Sabor y Amor by Luke Robins and Ivonne Serna—were showcased in Washington DC at the Motion Picture Association, at the Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center at Arizona State University, at the GuadaLAjara Film Festival, and concluded their tour at the Guadalajara International Book Fair.

The community understood in many ways.

The second edition of Kaleidoscope invites the general public, students, filmmakers, and audiovisual creators to participate by submitting short films lasting between 2 and 12 minutes on the theme of "community." This concept can have multiple meanings and take on different dimensions through social media.

"Communities can be found in many shapes and colors. They can be families or coworkers; I like to use the example of gamers, who, in the end, are also a community," said Isabel Migoya.

Communities also form around gastronomy, sports, and television series. "We want them to be creative and surprise us with all the communities out there," she emphasized.

The theme was chosen in response to the current climate of bilateral relationships. "We noticed that in 2024, a year with elections in both the United States and Mexico, there is much discussion about polarization and our inability to reach a consensus. The truth is that election periods often aim to antagonize both countries. So, we thought, what's the opposite of polarization? It's the community," Isabel told Heraldo USA.

By July 29, they had received 793 short films and hoped to surpass the 881 submissions from the previous edition. This year's jury includes returning members like Eugenio Caballero, Production Designer, Art Director, and Oscar winner for El Laberinto del Fauno, as well as former Ambassador Roberta Jacobson.

Joining them are Daniel Krauze, screenwriter and author; Juan Carlos Rulfo, director, producer, and photographer; iconic actress and activist Dolores Heredia; Ligiah Villalobos, writer and consultant for Pixar's film Coco; Gustavo Arellano, columnist for the Los Angeles Times; journalist Fernanda Caso; and political analyst Carlos Bravo Regidor.

The deadline for submitting short films is August 16, and the contest results will be announced on September 17. The winning films will then be showcased in a series of exhibitions, visiting the same circuit as in 2023 and the National Cineteca and the Memory and Tolerance Museum in Mexico City.

"Another characteristic of our festival, since we are two universities and a research center, is that we value dialogue. After the short films, we will organize a discussion panel with a jury member and prominent figures in bilateral relations, depending on our city," highlighted Isabel Migoya.

Though Kaleidoscope is still a young platform, the goal is to continue into 2025 with a new call for entries announced during the screenings of this year's winning films. This open space for all types of filmmakers aims to enhance understanding of the Mexico-U.S. relationship with a more human, honest, and diverse perspective.