The Georgia Latino International Film Festival (GALIFF), presented by the Georgia Latino Film Alliance (GALFA), has announced its 2026 honorees ahead of the festival’s 15th anniversary celebration at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on September 30, 2026.

Academy Award nominee Yalitza Aparicio will receive the Pepe Serna GALFA Icon Award. Aparicio gained international recognition for her debut performance as Cleo in Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her recognition carries additional significance because Mexico is the festival’s 2026 Guest Country of Honor, linking the anniversary celebration in Atlanta with Mexican cinema and storytelling.

Actor, filmmaker, and producer Roberto Sanchez will receive the Pepe Serna Excellence in Filmmaking Award. Working both in front of and behind the camera, Sanchez has built a multifaceted career spanning acting, filmmaking, and production. His selection reflects GALIFF’s commitment to honoring Latino artists who have established lasting careers while contributing to the continued growth of Latino representation in the entertainment industry.

Leonard Najar will receive the Revelation of the Year Award, which recognizes an emerging talent and new voice in the entertainment industry. Sandy Hernandez will receive the Rising Star Award, honoring an emerging artist and the promise of a new generation of Latino talent. Together, the awards reflect GALIFF’s effort to create opportunities for audiences and industry professionals to discover emerging Latino talent alongside established artists.

GALIFF will also recognize actor, artist, mentor, and humanitarian Pepe Serna, whose career and commitment to supporting Latino artists inspired the awards that bear his name.

“Pepe Serna represents the kind of excellence we want these awards to stand for,” said Dr. José Márquez, CEO and founder of the Georgia Latino Film Alliance and Georgia Latino International Film Festival. “He was a trailblazer when there was barely a road to follow. But his legacy is about more than an extraordinary career. It is about using success to create opportunity for others.”

Márquez continued, “That is what we want every recipient of a Pepe Serna Award to understand. Excellence comes with purpose and with a responsibility to leave the door wider open for the generation that follows.” He added, “Pepe Serna Awards reminds us that legacy is not simply about what you accomplish. It is also about what you make possible for the people who come after you.”

The 15th anniversary celebration is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The festival itself will run from September 30 to October 4, 2026.

Sponsors and partners include Presenting Sponsor The Fox Theatre, Olé Mexican Foods, Fulton Films, VensureHR, 222Creative, Women in Film and Television Atlanta (WIFTA), Georgia Films, the DeKalb Entertainment Commission, HispAtlanta, Dr. Erick Pagan, ADCO Tax Services, Dr. Peirluigi Mancini, Cinefi, and the Georgia Latino Film Alliance.

More information about the Georgia Latino Film Alliance and its initiatives is available on GALIFF’s website. The 2026 honorees represent different stages in the effort to expand Latino representation: established artists whose careers helped open doors, working filmmakers continuing that progress, and emerging voices preparing to shape what comes next.