Patricia Riggen’s Journey as a Trailblazing Latina Director

By Gloria Romano-Barrera 

“From an early age, I had my eye and my heart set on cinema,” shares Mexican film director Patricia Riggen. “Somehow, I don’t know why—my dad was a doctor, my mom was a poet—but I just wanted to be in film.”  

It began with a feeling. A spark that took hold in Riggen’s heart as a young girl growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico.  

That quiet, persistent desire would eventually lead Riggen to become one of the most prominent Latina directors in Hollywood, blazing a path through an industry historically closed to women — especially women of color — and reshaping it along the way.  

Best known for directing the 2007 film Under the Same Moon, the 2011 Disney Channel original film Lemonade Mouth, and the 2025 Amazon Prime action thriller film G20 starring Viola Davis, Riggen’s journey was not straightforward.  

With no film school in her hometown, her journey required determination and adaptability. Guadalajara, in the 1980s, wasn’t exactly a hub for filmmakers. There was no film school, no local industry, and few role models to emulate.  

“Back in those days, there was no film school in Guadalajara… anybody who worked in film would need to migrate to Mexico City,” she shares. “That was where it all happened.”  

Still, she pursued storytelling any way she could. She earned a degree in Communication Sciences from ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara, and immersed herself in writing, research, and media. Her thesis, tellingly, was titled Female Directors — a subject that offered her a glimpse of what was possible.  

She worked as a writer for her local Guadalajara newspaper, worked for producer Bertha Navarro, and collected research on the death industry for a Guillermo del Toro documentary.  

“I was approached by a Mexican, a very well-known producer…she was coming to Guadalajara to start a TV series for the university,” she shares. “And that’s how I entered the industry… working on documentary screenplays.”  

Her career soon took her to Mexico City, where she became an executive producer for the Mexican Film Institute. Young, ambitious, and rapidly climbing the ranks, Riggen appeared to be living the dream. But something didn’t sit right.  

“I was very successful, very young, and learning a lot, but I always felt that I was not happy with the work,” she shares. “I just felt like I hadn’t found my place in the world of cinema.”  

She knew she needed to pivot. And she knew the risk would be great. Seeking her true calling, she took a leap of faith and applied to Columbia University in New York for a master’s degree in film. There, for the first time, she stepped behind the camera as a director. 

“The very first time I directed an exercise in class, I immediately realized, this is who I am,” she shares. “I’m a director. It was like a lightning bolt.”  

That spark — the one she felt as a child — ignited into certainty. And the world noticed.  

Her thesis film won a trifecta of major student honors: the Student Academy Award, the Student Emmy, and the Student DGA Award. That recognition opened doors, including a work visa, and, eventually, the chance to make her first feature.  

Riggen’s first feature film, “La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon),” was a landmark achievement.  

“I shot this movie for $1.5 million… I premiered it at Sundance, and overnight, I sold it for $5 million to Fox Searchlight and the Weinstein Company,” she shares. “That was basically a first for a Spanish-language movie directed by a woman that had a bidding war at Sundance.”  

Despite early success, Riggen faced systemic barriers.  

“Normally, when directors release movies from Sundance and make a fraction of that money at the box office, they immediately get hired to direct big studio movies,” she shares. “That didn’t happen with me. I’m a woman of color. I have an accent… over the years, you start understanding that there’s a real bias, again, against female directors in particular, and also against people of color.”  

It was a harsh reality. But it didn’t stop her. Riggen’s sense of responsibility to her community has always guided her. Riggen went on to direct a slate of high-profile projects — including Lemonade Mouth (2011), the Chilean mining rescue drama The 33 (2015), Miracles from Heaven (2016), and, most recently, the Amazon Prime action thriller G20 (2025) starring Viola Davis. 

“I have, in fact, shot many movies,” she shares. “I have worked non-stop since the beginning of my career, I’ve directed movies for many different studios, most of which have been very successful in terms of box office.” 

Riggen sees herself not just as a filmmaker, but as a trailblazer — someone responsible for making space for others who come behind her. 

“From the beginning of my career, I have had two things that guide me. One is, I know the responsibility that I carry as a pioneer, as one of the first women and Latina in my field, and I have to excel in what I do so that nobody behind me has to pay for that,” she shares. 

The second is her commitment to representation. 

“I go out of my way in every movie I make to make sure that I position a Latino character in a super positive role,” she shares. 

Riggen’s message to the next generation of Latina creators is clear. 

“They should always believe in themselves, no matter how much they see people not believing in them and not trusting them,” she shares. “They should try to shield themselves from that and maintain confidence in their talent and in their abilities.” 

Her impact is already visible. For instance, in Mexico, there are droves of female directors. “There are so many and they’re so talented, and they’re surpassing men in every way,” she proudly shares. “So, there’s the contribution.” 

As she looks to the future, she remains hopeful and determined. The fight for inclusion is far from over — especially in Hollywood boardrooms. She believes Latinas are the future of the country, and they need to be in every aspect. 

“I would like all these Latina executives to be in the studios,” she shares. “We need those executives so that we as creators can come into friendly rooms that understand who we are and what we’re coming with, in terms of stories.” 

Riggen’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, the importance of representation, and the impact of believing in oneself. Riggen knows what it’s like to break through. She also knows how easy it would be for that door to close again — unless those who follow are just as relentless. 

“I broke through the door. The door needs to remain open, and there are so many excuses to close it,” she shares. “Keep working hard and keep fighting for those spaces.” 

In her life, her films, and her fight, Riggen has done more than tell stories. 

She’s changed who gets to tell them.