From Prison to Redemption: Xolalpa’s Queer Drama Lolita Set to Premiere at SAFILM and 30+ Film Festivals

Ruben Perez Jr

Lolita, the newest feature from award-winning filmmaker Jorge Xolalpa (Your Iron Lady, Strangelove), will celebrate its Texas premiere at the San Antonio Film Festival (SAFILM) on Sunday, July 27 at 12:30 PM, marking one of the first major stops in a festival journey that’s gaining momentum across the globe.

A raw and poetic drama, Lolita follows Jesús (played by newcomer Alexis Vazquez), an openly gay man recently released from prison after a nine-year sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. As he attempts to rebuild his life and reconnect with his young daughter, Lolita, Jesús is forced to navigate an unforgiving system, the lingering weight of his past, and the stigma of being both formerly incarcerated and queer in America.

The newly released trailer offers a glimpse into the film’s intimate emotional landscape, featuring a haunting original score by long-time Xolalpa collaborator Ralf Lichtenberg, and an original song written for the film by Reginal Del Carmen.

Set against the backdrop of Los Angeles’ working-class neighborhoods, Lolita centers voices often excluded from mainstream cinema, telling a story about fatherhood, queerness, identity, and redemption with nuance and heart.

In addition to Vazquez’s powerful acting debut, the ensemble cast includes:

  • Johnny Ortiz (McFarland, USA)
  • Plutarco Haza (El Señor de los Cielos)
  • Katherine Castro (Someday)
  • And Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, The Dark Knight)

Lolita was written, directed, and produced by Jorge Xolalpa under his Mighty Aphrodite Pictures banner. The film is co-produced by Alfredo Widman for Latin Entertainment Work, and executive produced by Rafael Loza, Victoria Del Rosal, and Nelson Saenz.

Shot over the course of just ten days on a modest, ultra-low-budget last summer, the film continues Xolalpa’s legacy of creating powerful, character-driven stories with limited resources and uncompromising vision.

Xolalpa said:

Lolita is a love letter to all the parents society casts aside. Jesús is proof that people can be both deeply flawed and deeply loving—and that identity, no matter how marginalized, never disqualifies someone from fighting for family.

Following its Texas premiere at SAFILM, Lolita will head to the Georgia Latino Film Festival and the Madrid International Film Festival, with over 30 additional festivals to be announced soon.