The San Diego/Tijuana region offers a wealth of possibilities for independent film production. Its varied locations, excellent weather, production-friendly film commissions and proximity to Mexico are all assets for the independent film producer. Close enough to Los Angeles to access its resources, but far enough away to escape the industry rat race of Hollywood, Tinseltown's often-overlooked southern neighbor has played a perhaps small but nonetheless important role in the development of Latino independent film production.

Many local productions, whether features, documentaries or performance and video art pieces, have drawn upon the source material of this dynamic border region to create a cultural dialogue which has resonated at the international level.

Latino filmmakers who have made significant independent feature films here include Gregory Nava ("El Norte"), Isaac Artenstein ("Break of Dawn"), Maria Novaro ("Danzon") and Carlos Bolado ("Bajo California"). More recently, Mexican film professionals contributed to the mammoth production of "Titanic," which was filmed just south of Rosarito at the new Fox Studios Baja. "Titanic" and the subsequent "Deep Blue Sea," also filmed at the studio, redefined the technical possibilities of filming in the border region.

When director/producer Isaac Artenstein was making his film "Break of Dawn" here in the mid-1980s, it was difficult to find a complete feature film crew locally. But that, he says, has changed.

"It's easier to find more trained people at the border, because more feature films have been shot here as well as television series," says Artenstein, "So that can enable you to put together the necessary crew to do feature or series work for TV without having to completely rely on LA or Mexico City."

An example of the emerging binational film community himself, Artenstein has worked on productions in San Diego, Los Angeles, Tjiuana and Mexico City in recent years.

In addition, artists such as Guillermo Gomez-Peña, Jesse Lerner, Rita Gonzalez, Berta Jottar and many others have incorporated the unique sensibilities and lessons of the border region to inform the national discourse on issues regarding race, labor, culture, civil rights and the effects of globalization.

"Creatively, the border, not only for video makers, but for visual artists of all different backgrounds, has provided a really interesting landscape and laboratory for them to work in," says Artenstein, who has directed performance video works for noted artists Guillermo Gomez Peña and James Luna.

The San Diego/Tijuana region also has a rich documentary tradition. Paul Espinosa, perhaps San Diego's most prolific Latino producer, has helmed numerous significant national PBS documentaries, including "Uneasy Neighbors," "The Lemon Grove Incident," "The Border" and "The U.S.-Mexican War:1846-1848". Over the years, Espinosa has seen the growth of border-related documentary production.

"There is a tremendous interest in this region, both at the national and international level, and even at the state level," says Espinosa, "And there are resources that are going to people doing work in this region. Obviously, there has to be a balance between supporting local work and supporting national and international work.

"I think that being (here) is an asset," Espinosa continues. "You're essentially right on the US-Mexican border. You're also in Southern California, which has a very large Latino population. So you have access to a great number of stories that are of interest both to the Latino community and the larger community."

But despite many positive advantages, Latino filmmakers in San Diego have faced many of the same problems and obstacles as their counterparts in Los Angeles and elsewhere. Namely, this is the lack of funding and distribution opportunities. Inasmuch, Latino filmmakers working in San Diego and Tijuana have had to develop a greater resourcefulness to address the lack of resources.

The current corporatization of media outlets, including the troubled Pacifica radio network and the recently-downsized PBS, may signal rough waters ahead for the independent producer. But in light of perhaps more limited access to traditional outlets, however, new avenues for distribution have opened up. Local filmmakers have been quick to make use of the new tools and technologies of the digital revolution.

"I think everyone is shooting in MiniDV. And Final Cut Pro. Now you can produce broadcast quality productions in your home," says Ethan van Thillo, executive director of the Media Arts Center San Diego, which presents the annual San Diego Latino Film Festival as well as the popular Cine Mexicano series.

Filmmaker Artenstein also recognizes the importance of the digital revolution for transborder filmmakers.

"They're starting to do some narrative work and certainly documentary work," he says. "So that has had an impact that is equal on both sides of the border, because the technology is available for the same price on both sides of the border...As soon as any new digital or video media comes out that is accessible to people, you see it at work at the border."

Another positive development is that the increase in productions coincides with an increase in non-traditional distribution mechanisms.

"Digital video is huge. Digital cable is huge," says van Thillo. "I think already in digital cable you're seeing the Independent Film Channel, Sundance Channel. I've seen some films on the Sundance Channel that we screened at our film festival that same year. Latino films and Mexican films. HBO Latino and Showtime en Español."

In addition, numerous established Latino film festivals, such as the San Diego Latino Film Festival, are connecting audiences across the country with a steady stream of high quality English and Spanish-language Latino films. As the audiences for these festivals continues to grow, distributors cannot fail to take notice.

"I think we're showing people that there is a possibility, there is a market," says Van Thillo. "If properly marketed, the films can get out there. We just need to somehow convince the major distribution companies or small distribution companies to get involved."

Many local filmmakers, however, are using the new freedom of digital video's low-cost and high quality production to operate outside the mainstream and create works that challenge the existing corporate media structure, as evidenced by the rise of the Borderhack movement and the creation of a Los Angeles/San Diego/Tijuana chapter of the Independent Media Center. There is also a San Diego AIVF salon, which holds regular events and organizes screenings of local work.

Another factor contributing to the region's strong independent streak is its local universities, with solid production-oriented programs at UCSD, Southwestern College and SDSU. South of the border, the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California and the Colegio de la Frontera Norte also have healthy media programs.

"What you see, going back to Southwestern College and even UCSD," says Artenstein, "you see kids from both sides of the border very actively taking up media and very actively doing media that is very consciously about the border region, about their border experience, about what they need to say."

But despite the advances and alternatives, the need for advocacy remains.

"I think the digital revolution is a positive thing, especially for producers who have limited resources, because it is possible to do a high quality production with much less money," says Espinosa. "(But) we still haven't solved the nut of distribution and exhibition. At bottom, some of the issues that have to do with exclusion are really not technological, they're more cultural and social."

The growth and diversity of today's Latino film community points toward greater production possibilities and collaborations among Latino filmmakers and film professionals in the US and those from Mexico and other Latin American countries.

"It's a bright future, but we have to be careful about what is Latino cinema," cautions van Thillo. "Latino entertainment is huge right now with Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. It's a huge business right now. But I hope people are careful. What is Latino cinema going to be? Is it just going to be another extension of the Hollywood machine or can the Latino community actually produce something unique and different? And that's what I'm hoping is that it's going to be a wonderful cinema. And it has been a wonderful cinema. There's a lot of potential."

Artenstein, who has seen the growth of production on both sides of the border, feels that the current environment presents unique possibilities for the Latino producer.

"The mentality of the border is very friendly to the mentality of cinema," says Artenstein. "The border is very friendly to cinema in this outlook, that it is a global art, both in its conception, in its production and its dissemination," says Artenstein, "It's a global product. So the border feels very much akin to how filmmaking works...(Latino producers) should look into the cultural perspectives and dynamics that happen at the border, and they'll find them very instructive for their larger goals as producers with a Latino perspective. The issues that are relevant at the border are issues that enrich the Latino perspective and the discourse."

Victor Payan is an award-winning writer and humorist who has served as Associate Producer for several PBS documentaries. His website is www.flyingserpent.net.