This story was produced in collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). For our fourth collaboration with SCAD, Rough Draft editors once again worked with students in Paige Gray’s spring semester writing class, focusing on stories surrounding film and television. With the help of Rough Draft editors Collin Kelley, Beth McKibben, and Sammie Purcell, the students produced stories ranging from rediscovering the traditional moviegoing experience and Latinas in film, to Atlanta’s independent film industry and the Georgia Production Partnership Alliance nonprofit.
Latinas in Media Atlanta (LIMA) returned to the Atlanta Film Festival in April for the third consecutive year with a panel discussion on the step-by-step process of developing a film. A networking mixer called “Paso a Paso” held at El Ponce in Atlanta followed the panel, aimed at uplifting Latine voices in the Atlanta film industry during a time of heightened concern for Georgia’s immigrant communities. The mixer helped extend conversations from the panel, while creating space for Latine creatives to connect and collaborate.
Both Atlanta film industry events underscored the challenges facing Latine communities, especially in Georgia. Last month, the Deportation Data Project ranked Georgia fifth nationwide for arrests conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In February 2026 alone, there were 41 immigrant arrests per day in Georgia.
Denise Santos, co-founder of LIMA, emphasized the importance of solidarity and self-expression in the current political climate. “More than ever, leaning into your community, to the people that can use their voices and lend their voices, it’s so important that we don’t step down, that we don’t stay quiet,” Santos said. “That we use our voices that we can, because that’s something that they can’t take away.”
The evening brought together a cross-section of professionals, including emerging filmmakers, seasoned actors and actresses, film distributors such as Marco Medina, and established media professionals like event attendee Angel Fabian Rivera. He hosts a podcast that showcases Latine voices and stories.
Takeaways from the night
Rivera described the gathering as reflective of Atlanta’s diverse creative identity. “It’s very much Atlanta, very Latino, very queer,” Rivera said. “It’s been a beautiful thing to watch people be able to connect and also feel like they are included.”
As a recent graduate film student, Victor Munive said the panel and networking event were an incredible resource. His film career is just starting, and it’s hard to know what his next steps should be. “I loved the variety of perspectives that were brought to the panel,” Munive said. “And it was great to be around other emerging filmmakers and industry professionals with similar backgrounds as me.”
Viviana Chavez, one of the event’s main organizers, said the impact of these events extends beyond a single evening. “We’ve had a number of people who have met and started creating their own projects together because they met through Latinas in Media,” Chavez said. “Yeah. And that always feels good. It’s really good to know that we’ve put people together, they clicked, went off and created what they wanted to make together.”
Even as concern grows over anti-immigration rhetoric and policies, LIMA’s leadership remains focused on building opportunities within Atlanta’s film industry. Chavez, born and raised in Atlanta, pointed to the city’s potential as a hub for Latine storytelling.
“Atlanta is a really special place,” Chavez said. “It really is. I always think that Atlanta has so much potential, like untapped potential to be whatever it is, honestly, to be whatever it wants to be, or whatever we want to make it. I feel like a lot of other communities have done that in Atlanta. And I think Latinos have the opportunity to do that.”
Latines in Atlanta who love film, whether they’re filmmakers or just film lovers who want to connect with Latinas in Media Atlanta, can do so through their website and by following them on social media. Their website and Instagram are continuously updated with educational and networking events, highlighting what Latine Atlanta filmmakers are working on.
