Mission & History
Our Mission: Latino Film Institute + LXiA
Latino Film Institute (LFI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating infrastructure for equity, diversity, and excellence for the Latino community in the entertainment industry.
LatinX in Animation (LXiA) represents a diverse group within the Animation, VFX, and Gaming industries dedicated to uniting a talented pool of innovators with a heart to create exceptional stories across multiple platforms.
We do so by organizing activities and events focused on networking, camaraderie, community service, education, communication, and professional development. LatinX in Animation will provide the resources necessary to promote and further develop creatives and decision-makers in the Animation, VFX, and Gaming industries.
Through these efforts, we hope to empower and promote the growth of Latinx diversity and minorities in all facets of the Animation, VFX, and Gaming industries by celebrating authentic stories that are About Us, Told By Us and Made By us.
Our History
LXiA (LatinX in Animation) began in the Spring of 2018 when Magdiela Hermida Duhamel sought out to create a Latinx community for animation professionals. The goal of creating this group was to build a community for Latinx professionals that work in all different areas and disciplines including production, technical, and artistic roles. The community would have the opportunity to network and come together to learn from each other’s experiences. The original LXiA group started out very small, with only 30 members from a single studio, and would meet once a month during lunch.
By October 2018, the LXiA group had grown to over 50 members and that’s when Magdiela Hermida Duhamel and her Co-Founder, Bryan Dimas, knew it was time to reach out to the entire industry in hopes to keep growing the organization. They planned to host a single LXiA networking mixer and invited anyone who was interested. The response was overwhelming as they received over 70 RSVPs for our first event! Inspired by the networking event and seeing the need for a community for LatinX professional in animation, Magdiela Hermida Duhamel and Bryan Dimas again decided to continue to grow the organization by hosting monthly networking mixers.
By the end of 2018, LXiA held two more successful networking mixers that doubled as Q&A sessions with speakers Francisco Ruiz Velasco and Jorge R. Gutierrez. The LXiA community also grew to over 200 active members from DreamWorks Animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney Television Animation, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Netflix, Illumination Entertainment, Colleges, and many more.
In 2019, LatinX in Animation united with the Latino Film Institute (LFI), joining programs such as Youth Cinema Project (YCP) and Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF). Together with LFI, LatinX in Animation will continue its mission of strengthening a diverse animation community, showcasing diverse talent, and creating professional and educational programs.