At the panel entitled "The Rise of the Chicano Voice in Los Angeles," participants discussed the changing environment that aspiring Chicana/o film makers find themselves in, along with the power of the Mexican-American community not only in the industry around Hollywood, but in movements for social change. Panelist Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez, a lecturer in the Chicana/o Studies Department at California State University, Northridge and Ph.D. student in UCLA's School of Theatre, Film and Television, stated that there has been a "demographic explosion" of the Latino people and that there needs to be an embracing of power by the community. "This type of event [ChIFF] is an amazing way to affect change," Aviles-Rodriguez went on to say. "Hollywood will pay attention. Latinos go to see these movies. That's a lot of power."
People's World