There is lots of pressure to make a GOOD film. And not just a GOOD film but one that will somehow stand out in the sea of GOOD films.

A theatrical on a tight budget really only becomes about generating critical reviews for you and your film, not revenue.

As for major obstacles keeping young Latinos from becoming filmmakers, I think our communities are still coming into their identities as storytellers. It's such an important identity to reclaim - it's how our ancestors kept our cultures alive. But a long history of silencing, invisibility, and marginalization has kept generations of Latinos from believing in themselves, from seeing themselves as agents of their own lives. I think there needs to be a focus on this aspect to help cultivate young Latinas to see themselves as cultural producers and defenders.

One hopes for that type of result but you just never know what factors will work in your favor. I think I just was concentrating on making the best film I could under the circumstances I was given. That's all I could really do.

Going from a short to a feature is like going from crawling to flying. It's a big jump, really. Everything triples - size of crew, budget, shooting days, the cast. Not to mention the stakes - as a first time feature filmmaker so much rides on this film.

I believe in Mexico there's a big culture of moviegoing, both studio and indie. I think here in the US that's not the case because Latino communities don't have access to indie films. If you go into communities of color you will only find the big theater chains which only play the blockbuster genre films.

I think my biggest advice to filmmakers is to look into the many digital platforms that exist for you and your team to distribute your film.