A panel on “Women on the Rise: the Emergence of Latin American Women in the Industry” was held to examine the difficulties encountered by Latin American women entering the seventh art. The panel was sponsored by Luis Nikkolas Rey, Dania Ramirez, and Raquel Cepeda of the Dominican Republic; Lourdes Portillo of Mexico and Esther Goris of Argentina; specialists in directing, producing, and acting.

“To be a woman in film is difficult, but to be a Latin woman is triply difficult in the world of entertainment,” states Kiki Melendez, a Dominican actor living in Hollywood, who was the panel’s moderator.

Dania Ramirez, who stars in the North American series Heroes, opened the discussion with an account of her early experiences in acting and the obstacles that she had to overcome to succeed. “Since I was a child, I always wanted to be a star and so I risked everything to achieve it. Because if you try, if you believe in yourself and you study, you can achieve anything,” assured the young actress.

The discussion also examined the strong discrimination that exists against women in all areas of social life and how women are challenged. “We women are taking over film, because it is easier to reach people through the art,” says Goris.

For her part, Lourdes Portillo found in gender documentaries an easy access way to enter and participate in the field. “I needed to say something, because I saw that everyday people were not represented in Hollywood movies,” explained Portillo, whose documentary (“The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo”) was nominated for an Oscar. The director explained that some had the attitude that it was absurd for a young woman to want to make films, but she was determined. It was hard for her to enter into film because there were no openings for her, nor for people like her, who “wanted to represent reality, in reality.”

In support of documentary film-making, Raquel Cepeda insisted that you must show people things as they are, the good and the bad that is in everything. “I want to have the toughest skin so that I’m not affected by what is happening around me,” she said, in reference to the fact that she works mostly on documentaries, because she understands that in her hands she has a tool that can help change the world.

The panelists emphasized that the situation for Latin actresses has changed significantly due to the fact that before they were only offered small roles but now they have come to hold leading roles. “Latin actresses are preparing themselves and are breaking barriers and deconstructing stereotypes, allowing them to go farther in the industry,” Rey says.

The panelists concurred that training and studies together with perseverance, effort, and work are the necessary elements to be successful in the world of film.

During the event, the panelists told anecdotes about how they discovered their vocation and all that they had to sacrifice to be able to reach the position they are now in. At the end of the discussion, audience members had the opportunity to ask them specific questions on the subject.

Luis Nikkolas Rey	Dania Ramirez	Raquel Cepeda	Esther Goris	Lourdes Portillo