Nogales Int'l Film Fest to screen movies at U.S.-Mexico border wall

NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Nogales International Film Festival (NOGAIFF) will screen movies at the U.S.–Mexico border wall May 13–17, 2026, inviting audiences to watch the same films side‑by‑side from Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora. The festival’s signature Film on the Fence series turns the barrier into a shared public screen, drawing filmmakers, community members and international visitors for nightly, free screenings.

Presented by the Southern Arizona Film Society, NOGAIFF bills itself as one of North America’s most unique and socially engaged festivals. Organizers say Film on the Fence transforms the barrier into a stage for storytelling and cultural exchange, with projections arranged so people on both sides of the wall can gather simultaneously to view the same images, hear the same dialogue and participate in post‑screening conversations.

“This is reclaiming that space for our voices, our cultures, and our shared humanity,” festival director Oscar Rene Coronado said. The 2026 lineup underscores that mission: Sundance‑award winner "American Pachuco" will screen with an introduction and Q&A by director David Alvarado; Emmy‑ and Tony‑nominated filmmaker Ben DeJesus will attend; director Isabel Castro will bring her Netflix film "Selena y Los Dinos"; and the cast of the binational "Las Tres Sisters" will appear for conversations with audiences.

All festival events are free and open to the public, a deliberate choice to make cinema accessible to borderland communities that have had limited arts programming. In addition to Film on the Fence, NOGAIFF’s schedule includes binational screenings, filmmaker panels, student showcases and networking events aimed at amplifying underrepresented voices and supporting emerging filmmakers.

Organizers say the project is both symbolic and practical: by projecting onto the wall, the festival creates a literal shared line of sight that invites cross‑border dialogue, challenges assumptions about public space, and spotlights stories of migration, identity and community rooted in the borderlands.

For full programming and schedule, visit www.soazfilm.org/nogaiff.