Latinos are still making their way into Hollywood.
In the independent feature film “Valentina,” a young woman encounters a series of bureaucratic mishaps as she attempts to complete a simple to-do list on the El Paso-Juarez border. But the film, directed by Tatti Ribeiro, which won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Person of Interest at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, is less interested in the politics of the border than in the people who live there.
Shot with a crew of just 10 people, the drama blends narrative and documentary styles to follow the titular characters as they navigate red tape, cultural identity, and survive through laughter. Quira Monterosso Mejia, a Guatemalan-Mexican-American actor known for her work on Apple TV+’s The Studio and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, stars in the title role.
For Ribeiro, who spent years reporting from El Paso as a journalist, the challenge was to translate an experience he knew to be rich, funny and human into a cinematic language that could capture content often missed in policy debates.
“My main problem was that even though the work was true and important, my experience making it and what the work was communicating felt disconnected,” Ribeiro told Variety.
What she had in mind was how to make the experience as rich and interesting as possible, and at the same time powerful and moving. She cited filmmakers such as Richard Linklater, mockumentary “Borat” and best picture winner Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” as tonal touchstones. Ribeiro said he wanted the film to have a down-to-earth, conversational tone that felt like spending time in West Texas, rather than a straight drama or absurdist comedy. Nearly 98% of the film is unscripted, and the real El Paso residents give performances so natural that audiences are stunned to learn that they are not professional actors.
Ribeiro also spoke candidly about the pressures women and filmmakers of color face, citing Tina Fey’s anecdote about comedian Steve Martin’s advice to “kill it every time.”
“I think that’s true for women as well. You have to ‘kill it’ every time, or you can’t make the next one,” Ribeiro says. “What women need is the space to keep moving forward, but without the pressure of ‘kill it or you’re out’ every time. It’s a debilitating pressure and it paralyzes people.”
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Actor and multi-hyphenate Jessica Alba and her producing partner Tracy Nyberg serve as executive producers through their production company, Lady Metalmark Entertainment. When Alba started her company in 2024, she said she was drawn to the film’s humanity.
“There’s a tenderness, complexity, and nuance in our stories and characters that we deserve, but we don’t get,” Alba says. “Often they only allow us to live in one or two narrow dimensions, and anything beyond that is too much for us.”
Alba, who also has a daughter who aspires to be a film director, said she felt it was her personal mission to champion the project. She pointed out the double standards that women and Latinx creatives face in an industry that demands perfection but offers little opportunity. “There are so few shots that you have to reach a level of perfection that goes beyond reason,” Alba says. “If we can pretend we’re not held to that standard and just have fun. If we’re having a good time, they can’t take us seriously.”
Nyberg said this mission goes beyond a single film.
“Being in a club allows you to keep moving forward,” Nyberg says. “But if you don’t, even if you’re successful, people forget about it or dismiss it as a one-time thing.”
For Monteroso Mejia, whose father is from Guatemala and mother from Mexico, the role was both terrifying and transformative. “I had to say yes, because it would make me a better actress,” Monterosso Mejia says of her initial reaction.
The production was also a family affair. Ribeiro involved Monterosso Mejia’s own father and brother in the film. The prospect made her nervous at first. However, the family’s natural chemistry proved irresistible in front of the cameras. Her father’s dinner talk about cartels and his reaction when her character smokes become some of the film’s most endearing moments.
Monterroso Mejia also reflected on what her career has meant to the broader landscape of Latinx representation in Hollywood, crediting allies like America Ferrera and John Leguizamo for paving the way.
“I want to be honest, I am literally living, breathing proof that everyone who has worked hard for the national team has been rewarded,” Monterosso Mejia says. “Don’t quit, look, I am the product of your efforts.”
She also revealed that Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Branson recommended her for the role of Petra, the cheerful assistant to Seth Rogen’s studio head Matt, in the Apple TV+ series The Studio, noting that she might not have been considered for the role without Branson’s support.
“If she hadn’t said anything, if she hadn’t brought up my name, I don’t think I would have been considered or even noticed,” Monterosso Mejia recalls.
“Valentina” arrives at a time when the debate over Latino representation in film remains urgent. America Ferrera remains the only Latina to win the Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Only three Latina women have won an acting Oscar: Rita Moreno for West Side Story in 1961, Ariana DeBose for West Side Story in 2021, and Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Perez in 2024. No Latina has yet won the Best Actress Oscar.
However, the production team behind “Valentina” is more focused on storytelling than statistics. As Ribeiro says, the more specific her films are, the more universal they feel. She is currently in early pre-production on her next project, another hybrid film in the same vein. So far, “Valentina” has won two awards at last year’s Mill Valley Film Festival, winning the Mind the Gap Creation Award and the Audience Award at the Viva El Cine Awards. section.
A special screening of the film, co-hosted by Alba and Elsa Collins, will be held at the UTA Agency on Tuesday, March 10th at 7pm PT. The event will include a Q&A with Ribeiro, journalist Jacob Soboroff, and U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro, followed by a reception. Screenings will be presented by UTA Independent Film Group, 3 Arts Entertainment and Lady Metalmark Entertainment.
