Latin American film is popular even in far away countries across the Atlantic Ocean.

Macedonia, for example.

No wonder the winner of the 22nd San Diego Latino Film Festival poster competition, graphic designer and artist Zoran Cardula, is from that southeastern European country.

The winner was announced during the film festival´s Somos Estrellas poster unveiling and benefit event, which took place on January 23, at the new Karinas Mexican Seafood restaurant in downtown San Diego.

Cardula’s poster was selected from among more than 70 entries from around the world, including Canada, Mexico, India, and Argentina.

He said he decided to take part in the San Diego Latino Film Festival Festival’s competition because “movies are one of (his) passions.”

In the red poster, one can see traditional Latin American and film iconography, including skulls, Mayan pyramids, film camera, and popcorn.

“I wanted to connect typography and iconography in a modern concept,” Cardula said. “So I have represented famous Latin American symbols and from the film industry through simple and modern icons.”

Each year, the San Diego Latino Film Festival launches the competition to select the poster, which becomes the face of the festival. The image is used in souvenir programs, foldout posters, postcards, and t-shirts.

“Announcing a winner for the poster competition is always exciting,” said Phillip Lorenzo, exhibitions director for the San Diego Latino Film Festival. “We get to see the vision of the festival, and it’s one of the first great reveals of our festival season”.

Regarding the winning poster, Lorenzo said that “its design elements very well represent the many qualities about the Latino Experience in San Diego.”

The San Diego Latino Film Festival will celebrate its 22nd edition from March 12-22, at its new home, the AMC Fashion Valley 18 at Simon Fashion Valley.

Festival founder and executive director Ethan Van Thillo said that the new venue will not only bring new publics to the film festival, but it will also create new opportunities for everyone involved.

“This is an incredible opportunity for our event. By connecting to the more than 18 million people who go to this mall annually, it will provide the festival with a wonderful chance to educate more San Diegans about Latino Cinema and to introduce them to the wonderful film festival atmosphere”, Van Thillo said.

Film festival organizers are working hard in the complete line-up and invited celebrities, which will be announced on February 19th, in the festival media party.

This year, in order to promote careers in the film and related industries, the San Diego Latino Film Festival will partner with the Jacobs Center for Community Innovation to host the first Creative Career Expo, on Saturday, March 14.

“This unique event will promote careers such as fashion, music, technology, software, video gaming, film/video, architecture, and design, to youth of color (ages 15 to 25) that are sorely under-represented in these industries,” Van Thillo said.

The expo is part of the San Diego Media Arts Center’s, the non-profit organization behund the festival, efforts to encourage diversity in Hollywood and beyond. Van Thillo said that the recent lack of nominations for actors of color in the Oscars highlights this need.

“There is of course a bigger issue of lack of diversity in Hollywood. Not just the annual Oscars. This, after 22 years, the San Diego Latino Film Festival continues to promote the need for more filmmakers of color and women representation in the film/video industry, both in front and behind cameras”, he said.

Regarding this year’s poster, Van Thillo said that “it is a playful representation of Latino cinema and life in the San Diego-Baja California border region.”

For more information on this year’s San Diego Latino Film Festival, please visit www.sdlatinofilm.com.