On the feature side, Picture house's August release "El Cantante," which Jennifer Lopez produced and co-starred in with husband Marc Anthony, was released this past summer; ThinkFilm's "Bordertown," Lopez's acting-producing collaboration with director Gregory Nava, is currently in theaters; and the upcoming Spanish-language drama "La misma luna," purchased at Sundance by Fox Searchlight and the Weinstein Co. for $5 million, has huge crossover potential. Directed by Guadalajaran-born Patricia Riggen and written by Ligiah Villalobos, the mother-son reunion drama received standing ovations from festival audiences.

"In terms of a feature film written by a Latina -- and I'm talking about an American Latina -- I cannot think of a single other one (besides 'La misma luna') that I could name you other than the film that Cynthia Cidre wrote, 'The Mambo Kings,' a number of years ago," says Kimberly Myers, director of diversity at WGA. "The success of one film can really begin to make a difference. So these women like Cynthia Cidre and Luisa Leschin and Ligiah Villalobos in a way are pioneers. You wouldn't think in this time that they would be, but they are."

The increasing inclusion of these diverse voices in the writing room means more color on the screen. "We're beginning to see more roles for Latinas that are less stereotypical and encompass more well-rounded, complex characterizations," says Rebecca Yee, SAG's national director of affirmative action and diversity. "We believe such improvements are attributable to an increasing number of Latinos involved in the production process. We also believe that there is a strong Latino market that wants to see more accurate depictions of Latina characters."

Even though the quality of roles and opportunities for Hispanic women is improving, the quantity still leaves much to be desired. The most recent WGA diversity report, which covers 2005-06, shows that a mere 9% of all employed entertainment writers and 6% of screenwriters are minorities, with only a small fraction of these being Hispanic women. The situation for Hispanic actors is only slightly better: A UCLA study by law professor Russell Robinson published in December 2006 reported that almost 69% of roles are reserved for white actors.

While some in the industry attribute these numbers to the lack of Hispanic female role models already working in Hollywood, others cite more concrete obstacles. "My guess is that some of it is that the people who run things are by and large white males who are more comfortable with people who remind them of themselves," says Howard Rodman, USC screenwriting professor and WGA board member. "There has not yet been a critical mass of Latinas in the industry so they can pull more aboard. With every diverse group, it takes somebody to break through, and it takes some people willing once they have broken through to reach a hand back and say, 'Come along with me. This door's now open.' "

Still, progress is sure, if slow. "I believe that this is a quite unbiased industry," says Kathryn Galan, executive director of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). "It's not a brown issue. You know, I think you could be green if what you were writing, creating, doing is commercial and is seen and a way can be found to sell it."

The bottom line, as always, is that Hollywood is a business. This is why many people feel that the significance of Hispanic women ascending the executive ranks at studios, networks, agencies, management companies and production shingles cannot be underplayed. Some even believe it is the true key to seeing more Hispanic women employed in all fields of the entertainment industry.

"When you look at (president of CBS Entertainment) Nina Tassler, how can you not think that there's hope?" asks Helen Hernandez, president and founder of the Imagen Foundation. "You look at Edy Mendoza, who started off as a page at CBS, and now she's vp of comedy development over at CBS. You look at Belinda Menendez, president of NBC Universal International (Television Distribution); or Christina Norman, president of MTV; or Frida Torresblanco, the producer; or Christina Davis, who's the vp of drama series development over at CBS; or Antoinette Zel, who's the senior vp of strategic planning for Telemundo. We're making strides. Maybe perhaps not as fast as some of us would like to see, but you know what? It's happening."

To highlight the achievements of such high-powered executives, a committee of editors at The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard did extensive field research to rank the following 25 Hispanic Women in Entertainment in the fields of film, entertainment and music. The list evaluates and celebrates each woman's unique achievements over the past year, taking into consideration her position within her entertainment company, influence to get projects greenlighted, budgeted and staffed, and that ineffable but all-important quality -- force of personality. Their substantial and inspiring contributions tell the real story of Hispanic women in Hollywood this year. There's no doubt about it: The door is wide-open.