The largest local celebration of Latin American cinema begins Thursday. The San Diego Latino Film Festival will present more than 180 movies, 120 filmmakers and is expected to draw around 20,000 fans.

The festival, which runs through March 20, also will offer movie shorts and documentaries, all from Latin America, the United States and Spain.

Festival-goers will have the chance to meet stars such as Julio Bracho, Demián Bichir, Martha Higareda, Cecilia Suárez, Adal Ramones, Carmen Salinas and Xavier López ("Chabelo", among others.

The eagerly awaited movies include the Colombian production "Del amor y otros demonios," "Te presento a Laura" starring Kuno Becker and Martha Higareda, and "La vida de los peces," Chile's entry for the 2010 Oscar.

On March 19, the festival presents the actors in "Hidalgo," including Bichir, Miguel Rodarte and Cecilia Suárez.

"Otra película de huevos y un pollo," "The Runway," "Plumíferos" and "Dora the Explorer" are the family movies being presented. In fact, the festival offers a Family package, which costs $35, which includes 4 tickets – for two adults and two children – for admission to these four movies.

The Documania package, for $35, covers admission to five documentaries. This genre provides a wide variety of productions, including "La Mamá," which captures the life of an American nun who worked for years at Tijuana's prison, and "Hybrid Identities: Artistic Voices from the Border," about diverse artists in Tijuana.

The festival presents productions in a variety of genres, including Brazilian Cinema, Jewish-Latino Cinema, Women's Cinema, Gay Cinema, Science Fiction, Historical and Fantasy, among others.

The event is also a great party. Festival-goers can enjoy live music every night, take a picture with the stars and participate with a question-and-answer session with filmmakers who are presenting their works.

"The festival is a great experience. Don't be intimidated by the number of films. You only have to go the theater any day of the week and pick a movie," said Ethan van Thillo, said the executive director of the Media Arts Center in San Diego, which organizes the festival.