The 33rd Chicago Latino Film Festival, produced by the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, has received a $25,000 FilmWatch Grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The grant will support the Festival’s free Student Matinee and Community Outreach Programs, which provide students, teachers and underserved communities the opportunity to view films from the United States and Latin America that are otherwise inaccessible to them and learn about these different Latino cultures through this art form. Fifteen student screenings have been scheduled during the two-week run of the Festival which will take place April 20-May 4, 2017 at the AMC River East 21 Theatres, 322 E. Illinois St. Created as an educational component to the Festival, the program offers Latino and non-Latino elementary and high school students the opportunity to learn about the diversity of other Latino cultures and to connect with their own heritage. In addition, students have a chance to meet with the artists involved in the making of the film and discuss viable career options in the arts.