Día de los Muertos is a 2-day celebration (Nov. 1 & 2) that happily and lovingly remembers loved ones that have passed.

“In Aztec culture, death was transitory, and the souls of the dead could return to visit the living. After the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, those traditions were melded into the Catholic calendar, and are now celebrated to coincide with All Souls’ Day.” - The New York Times

On these days, it is believed that the passageway between the real world and the spirit world is opened so our deceased loved ones can come back to visit us. It is now primarily a Mexican tradition, however other countries around the world also honor the deceased in various or similar ways (i.e. Philippines, Latin America, India, Haiti etc.)

Tradition typically says to place photos of deceased loved ones at an ofrenda (an altar/offering), along with their favorite food or drink and items that represent them or were special to them, such as things they liked. We invite our IFA community to commemorate their loved ones on our IFA Día de los Muertos Ofrenda! 

From Oct. 16 - Nov. 13, we welcome the film community to contribute photos of deceased loved ones, and any items special to them. (For example, if a deceased relative enjoyed comic books, their photo with a comic book is a beautiful commemoration!)

All items can be retrieved from the ofrenda by Nov. 13. Happy Día de los Muertos!