A Queens World
June 21, 2025
Ridgewood Public Library
20-12 Madison St
Ridgewood, NY 11385
FREE
Guests

Jimena Luna Deschamps
Jimena Luna Deschamps is a Mexican actress trained at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. She expanded her studies in dance at Broadway Dance Center and studied the Alexander Technique at The Juilliard School. She began her acting career at the age of 7 in the film Comando Dragón, and has since built a diverse career across film, theater, and television in both Mexico and the United States.
Her film credits include El Cielo en tu Mirada, Villa, Itinerario de una Pasión, Campeones (Dir. Lourdes Deschamps), and Silencio (Dir. Lorena Villarreal), where she plays the English daughter of actor Rupert Graves. Silencio premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival.
On stage, she portrayed Luisa in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid, directed by José Solé, a production that won the APT Award for Best Comedy. She was also part of Dr. Faustus directed by Maricel Álvarez and Emilio García Wehbi, as well as Hotel Victoria (Dir. Hugo Arrevillaga) and Tartuffe with the National Theatre Company of Mexico (Dir. Luis Rábago). Her television work includes roles in Amor de Barrio (Dir. Francisco Franco), El Dandy (Dir. Ismael Rodríguez), Blue Demon (Dir. Javier Solar), José José: The Prince of Song (Dir. Diego Mejía), and the Netflix original series Ingobernable, where she plays Emilia Urquiza under the direction of Pitipol Ybarra.
She is currently involved in a television project with La Corriente del Golfo and was a special guest at the Itinerant Film Festival, where she led a masterclass on acting and the human experience.
In addition to her work as an actress, Jimena is also an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Sit With Me in Wonderland, a meditation brand and community where she guides creative inner journeys that blend art and spirituality. She frequently collaborates with artists from around the world, offering experiences designed to inspire personal growth and imagination. She is also the host of 21C, a podcast about life and the arts in the 21st century.
Liz Ortiz
Liz is a NYC based casting director and award winning indie film producer/director credited on projects which have screened at hundreds of film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, BAM Cinemafest, Toronto, IRIS Prize, GAZE, Brooklyn, Palm Springs, Austin, American Black, HBO Latino, NY Latino, Queen’s World, Reel Sisters, Harlem and Urban World among others. Projects have aired on CBS, HBO, Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon, Showtime, Netflix, and Lifetime Movies. Casting and producing highlights include: Advantageous (Sundance award winner, Independent Spirit nominee), Barrio Boy (Peacock,Amazon,AppleTV, streaming in France and the UK); And… Seen (writer/producer/director) a feature documentary commenting on misperceptions of disability in the entertainment industry.
Current indie film projects include The Black Dog is Nipping at Your Heels, written/directed by Sundance Alumn Moon Molson, The Last Days of Byron Bray, by Michael Borrelli of West 52nd Street Films and produced by Sundance Alumn Harris Doran and Art Matters a short with plans on evolving into a Feature in pre-production. She also casts special projects for various university film departments and festivals. Liz is an in house casting director and on the faculty of Stonestreet Studios/NYU, and enjoys giving live and virtual workshops for Princeton University, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Actors Connection other professional actor training programs.
