photos by Elisa Haber
“Today we are going to focus on three moves: one for your project, one for your craft, and one for someone else,” was how Eli Gonda positioned the afternoon focused on creating opportunities for member growth and support.
In celebration of Latin Heritage Month, on October 4, attendees gathered in the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater for No Permission Needed, the fifth annual DGA Latino Summit. Hosted by the Latino Committee (LC) and its Career Advancement Sub-Committee — both dedicated to empowering Latinos in all Guild categories — the event provided attendees with an opportunity to connect and learn from their successful peers during an inspiring day of community, career development, and celebrating Latino excellence in the arts. The Summit also sought to reaffirm the Guild’s commitment to inclusion, representation and amplifying diverse voices across the entertainment industry.
Following a welcome from Summit Subcommittee members Gonda, Alejandro Brugués and SJ Main Muñoz —all of whom have served as current or former LC Co-Chairs — Gonda then kicked off the event by introducing the first panel of the day that dealt with working in television.
From Obstacle to Opportunity: Navigating A New Age of TV
Sharing practical, firsthand insights on thriving (and surviving) in this new age of television, Directors Aurora Guerrero, Norberto Barba, Ben Hernandez Bray and UPM Canella Williams-Larrabee engaged in a candid discussion on how to navigate the current industry flux in a conversation moderated by Director SJ Main Muñoz.
Muñoz framed the conversation by commenting, on the challenges of navigating an industry where so many directorial opportunities are being removed due to the contraction in the industry as well as other external factors.
Barba discussed the unique challenges the climate creates for Producing Directors when approaching hiring — particularly a reduction in hiring new Directors (including those new to the show but experienced) as studios became more conscious of cost.
Guerrero discussed how creators from underrepresented backgrounds leading productions helped create opportunities for others early on in her career and the visible shift in who is leading the storytelling now — impacting who is being extended the opportunity to tell stories as a result.
Hernandez Bray discussed the importance of mentors in his journey and the support he received transitioning into directing from the stunt world.
Williams-Larrabee discussed her twenty-year journey and the impact the current climate has had on hiring and how those decisions are being mad.
Beyond the System: Making your Feature Happen
The second Summit panel was a powerful blueprint for turning your creative vision into a successful reality outside the mainstream system. Directors Alonso Alvarez-Barreda, Marvin Lemus and Patricia Riggen shared tips on how to take control of your career by making your own feature during a discussion moderated by Director Antonio Negret.
Negret started the discussion by asking panelists about a project that was made beyond the system (traditional studio structure).
Riggen discussed the making of her first movie and dealing with studios. She noted the importance of independent filmmaking and the freedom it presents the filmmaker – particularly ensuring a theatrical release which was not initially on the table.
Lemus spoke about Gentified, a digital web series funded by Macro and how much he learned about the cost of doing business but also the importance of understanding how to connect to audiences in nontraditional ways to build success.
Alvarez-Barreda emphasized his greatest successes have been predicated on his own lack of knowledge of the system — allowing him to navigate, creatively, spaces that others may have seen limitations in
Spotlight: In the Directors’ Chairs
DGA Latino Summit 2025’s final panel featured a thought-provoking conversation between Directors Issa López and Phil Lord where they discussed how their lives influence their storytelling and what inspires the work they pursue as well as today’s challenges and opportunities.
Lord spoke of the resistance that presents itself when you try to do something new, something different. He discussed how sometimes the most significant decisions can occur so quickly and yet have such a significant impact – like the making of a Black Puerto Rican Spiderman.
López recalled her experience writing a murder-mystery like True Detective, and how unexpected that journey can be. She also discussed the projects that die in your hands that almost take you with them that then become your fuel and how that can propel you forward.
They ended the conversation with a final note from Lord on how the art of filmmaking is so much more than a single Director — “it is not a singular person’s vision; it’s a conversation and the conversation is what makes the movie.”.
See videos from this event in the gallery below.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
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From Obstacle to Opportunity: Navigating A New Age of TV |
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Beyond the System: Making your Feature Happen |
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Spotlight: In the Directors’ Chairs |
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About the Committee:
The Latino Committee was created as a networking group to advance career and job opportunities for Latino DGA members by improving craft skills, networking, and making Latinos better known to the Hollywood creative community.
