5 Latin American Films to Watch in 2026
Latin American films have been making waves in the festival scene for years. These five films highlight the power, complexity, and global rise of Latinx storytelling in 2026.
A new musical short ‘Guava Island’ hits Amazon Prime and it’s another brilliant creation from Donald Glover a.k.a “Childish Gambino” and co-stars the equally amazing, Rihanna.
One of the best things to come out of Coachella or rather, forever ‘Beychella’ was the debut of ‘Guava Island’ where Glover “Childish Gambino” headlined.
Though ‘Guava Island’ is a ‘thriller musical’, don’t expect ‘Ri Ri’ to break out in song or dance, she does groove a bit with Glover’s character, so at the end – it works.
We get to see Rihanna’s acting chops are on display – and helloooo Hollywood! Rihanna has starred in supporting roles in movies ‘Ocean’s 8’, ‘Battleship’ and ‘Annie’ to name a few. With ‘Guava Island’, Rihanna plays a seamstress and is coupled up with Glover’s character, Deni. Rihanna shines as the star and anchors the film with a natural ease and overall strong performance.
In ‘Guava Island’, Glover plays Deni Maroon, a community-oriented musician who stares business tycoons in the face and aspires to organize a festival of sorts to liberate the oppressed people of Guava Island.
‘Guava Island is loosely inspired by Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, ‘City of God’ (2003) and ‘Touki Bouki’ (1991), Glover/Gambino incorporates his past songs like ‘Summertime Magic’, repurposes the memorable ‘This is America’ TIA with tropical Cuba as the backdrop. TIA debuted last May 2018 and if you watched it, had everyone caught up in its timing, symbolism and raw edge. The TIA Cuban scene speaks to how capitalism functions in America. Glover definitely gets you thinking through his artivism.
Filmed in Havana, Cuba – the producers, one being Glover’s brother stayed true to the script and were thoughtful to the economy, ensured authenticity was at the forefront by casting Afro-Latinx locals, something you don’t see mainstream film or movie makers doing. Traditional Cuban and Afro-Caribbean sounds were used as well.
You can find the nearly one-hour ‘Guava Island’ musical film on Amazon Prime – ready to stream and enjoy!
