see you at the festival
This February the La Casa Norte team, in collaboration with Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), Vision 8 Creative, Ministerio Transexual, Digital Gym Media and Escuela de Caminos, is privileged to return with a new celebration of cinema in our city.
Together with our neighbors in San Diego, we will present a selection of independent feature films whose story on screen is as bold and challenging as the process behind their production. Some of these works were recently rejected, sued, marginalized, forgotten and then rediscovered, but the only thing they have in common is that their directors own their pieces and they risked it all... and they succeeded! These are films that have finally arrived to our theaters in Mexico and some, for the first time, will be shown in California.
There will also be unique experiences throughout the city, Q&A sessions with the directors, workshops, and celebrations. Don’t miss out on this event!
Thank you to our Organizing Partners
American Journalist and YouTuber
Film Director, Editor, Writer and Actress
Film Director
Writer & Director at Transborder Film Foundation
Draga, artista, diseñadora
Drag Queen
Profesor, Diseño Industrial en la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
Reporter Andrew Callaghan (Channel 5) investigates the life of Kelly Johnson, a participant in the 2021 White Lives Matter rally in Huntington Beach, California. The documentary follows Callaghan as he explores Johnson’s background.
Featured Guest: Andrew Callaghan, Director
This hands-on workshop empowers emerging filmmakers to craft compelling stories. Learn the art of storytelling through the guidance of seasoned filmmakers from the Transborder Film Foundation team. Only 12 spots available for this workshop.
Featured artist: Omar Lopex, Transborder Film Foundation
Jean Kayak finds himself stranded in a surreal winter landscape with nothing but his meager wits guiding him through the mountains, suddenly falling in love with a mysterious woman of the forest.
Annya and Guillermo, two actors trying to find their place in adult life, face the challenges of their day-to-day life in Tijuana.. After an unexpected misunderstanding, Annya agrees to transport a film director.
Featured Guest: Diego Hernandez
Join artists and academics for an immersive drag persona workshop blending design, technology, and performance. Explore Tijuana’s cultural heritage through collaborative transformation and celebration.
Featured artists: Alanina, Astrid Búk Kake, Alejandro Murga
Reporter Andrew Callaghan (Channel 5) investigates the life of Kelly Johnson, a participant in the 2021 White Lives Matter rally in Huntington Beach, California. The documentary follows Callaghan as he explores Johnson’s background, beliefs and path to finding peace within the alt-right movement in the United States, while delving into his personal connection to it.
Featured Guest: Andrew Callaghan, Director
This hands-on workshop empowers emerging filmmakers to craft compelling stories. Learn the art of storytelling through the guidance of seasoned filmmakers from Transborder Film Foundation.
Featured Artist: Omar Lopex from Transborder Film Foundation
JEAN KAYAK finds himself stranded in a surreal winter landscape with nothing but his meager wits guiding him through the mountains, suddenly falling in love with a mysterious woman of the forest. But when he finally plucks up the courage to speak to her, their lives are put in danger when they are attacked by an armada of sinister beavers (all played by actors dressed in costumes), KAYAK decides to confront these evil creatures with increasingly complex traps and at the same time win the heart of his beloved.
Annya and Guillermo, two actors trying to find their place in adult life, face the challenges of their day-to-day life in Tijuana. Guillermo works in a call center while Annya drives an Uber to work. After an unexpected misunderstanding, Annya agrees to transport a film director who has just returned to town to produce his next film based on a tragedy in the city.
Special Guest: Diego Hernandez, Director
Join artists and academics for an immersive drag persona workshop blending design, technology, and performance. Explore Tijuana’s cultural heritage through collaborative transformation and celebration.
Featured artists: Alanina, Astrid Búk Kake, Alejandro Murga
In the bleak suburbia that is America’s Midwest, Simon (Kyle Gallner), an aggressive punk rocker, is on the run from the police and when there seems to be nowhere else to escape, he finds refuge with a (very special) girl Patty (Emily Skeggs). Between music, violence and family dinners, they realize they have a lot more in common than they first thought.
An insecure trans girl (still in the closet) arrives in Gotham City with dreams of making it as a comedian in a world where comedy is forbidden. Facing rejection and joining a group of outcasts, she transforms into “Joker The Harlequin,” a psychotic prankster destined to take on the fascist bat-man terrorizing the city. Both satire and documentary, don’t miss director Vera Drew’s raw vision.
Featured guest: Vera Drew, Director
official after party of Quemaduros de Cigarro international film festival – emerging artists from tijuana/san diego, techno, house, rave. join us and celebrate the closing of the festival.
Featured artists: BUNGEX! and karma!
In the era of 35mm film, movies (usually feature films) were projected from reels of film that generally lasted between 10 and 20 minutes each. When a reel was about to end, the ‘cigarette burn’ would appear in the corner of the celluloid, signaling to the projectionist to prepare to switch to the next reel.
Tijuana is located in the northern part of Mexico, in the state of Baja, California. With beautiful mountain tops, serene deserts, and an amazing gastronomic and vibrant business sector, Tijuana is a diverse city with immense talent and possibilities. With two major airports nearby, Tijuana International Airport and San Diego International Airport, and a cross-border access, it’s incredibly easy to travel to Tijuana and take part in the film festival. Find out how to travel to Tijuana and find the best accommodation for you and your team.
Dirección: P.º de los Héroes 9350, Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana, 22010 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
Instagram: @cecut_mx
Address: Río Pánuco 2271, Revolucion, 22015 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
Address: 1100 Market St, San Diego, CA 92101
$5 for 3 Hours. The $5.oo dollar parking rate is honored even when signage from ACE indicates other Special Event Pricing. Approach the attendant and let them know you are watching a film at the Digital Gym Cinema. They will honor the $5.00 fee.
Please Note: Parking is limited. Occasionally there are other events inside the building; so although very rare, parking is unfortunately not 100% guaranteed.
Instagram: @digitalgymsd
Website: digitalgym.org
Address: C. Benito Juárez 2da 7009, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
Join us as a sponsor of the inaugural Cigarette Burns International Film Festival, a groundbreaking celebration of independent cinema in the heart of the San Diego-Tijuana region. This February 2025, in partnership with the prestigious Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT), La Casa Norte, Digital Gym Cinema Vision 8 Creative Lab, and Ministerio Transexual, we’re bringing award-winning films and filmmakers to one of North America’s most dynamic cultural crossroads.
