Director: Alejandra Vasquez & Sam Osborn
Runtime: 105 min
In-person: Co-directors Alejandra Vasquez & Sam Osborn
Fest Year: 2023
 In Southern Texas, a group of talented young musicians and their formidable coach vie for a chance to win the state championship in mariachi.
Long: As budgets for the arts and music are cut all across America, it would seem there’s no one feeling it more than the mariachi team of Edinburg North High School in southern Texas. But dedicated coach Abel Acuña won’t let a shoestring budget get in the way of his dreams of taking the mariachi squad to the state championships. After all, Acuña got into teaching to make a difference in the lives of his talented students. While Acuña works to get the team into shape, team captains Abby, Marlena, and Bella must also juggle mariachi and their final year of high school. Going Varsity in Mariachi celebrates cultural heritage and, in doing so, goes beyond the traditional coming-of-age story to tap into authentic and universal ideas about the importance of community, creativity, and music. (KM)