By Maria Esteves - September 24, 2009

The 12th Latinbeat Film Festival special panel discussion "LATIN-O-AMERICANA" was held at Walter Reade Theater, New York, on Thursday, September 10, 7:00 pm. Presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Cinema Tropical and NALIP-NY, the event celebrated emerging filmmakers of Latin American and New York-based Latin American descent. The panelist included filmmakers Natalia Almada (THE GENERAL), Cruz Angeles (DON'T LET ME DROWN), and Alex Rivera (SLEEP DEALER, NDNF 2008), moderated by co-founding director Carlos A. Gutierrez, Cinema Tropical . The filmmakers discussed their experience and benefits of incorporating the diverse cultural manifestations from Latin Americans and Latin America. Artists, filmmakers, producers, actors, and industry executives attended the session.  Questions posed by moderator Carlos A. Gutierrez to the panelist included  "How has your films been received in Latin America? Who is the Latino audience in the U.S.? What is the solution for marketing? How has coming to the U.S. affected your professional work? "  

2009 Latinbeat “LATIN-O-AMERICANA” panel discussion: (from right-left),
moderator, co-founding director Carlos A. Gutierrez, Cinema Tropical,
with panelist directors Cruz Angeles and Natalia Almada.

2009 Latinbeat “LATIN-O-AMERICANA” panel discussion: moderator co-founding director Carlos A. Gutierrez, Cinema Tropical, (center), with panelist directors Cruz Angeles, (left), and Alex Rivera.