WARWICK — Ligiah Villalobos admitted the odds were against her when she wrote and produced Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), now breaking records for a Spanish-language film in this country. It has grossed $22 million since its release on March 19.

Villalobos, keynote speaker at the sixth annual breakfast of the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA) yesterday, said the film spent six years on the shelf. She wrote it in English but was “adamant” that it be produced in Spanish for authenticity — a move that reduced its mainstream marketability. She had never written a feature film that had been produced. And, she added, “I was talking about a very controversial subject matter — undocumented workers.”

But success came, Villalobos said, “because I dared to think that I could.” She said that motto has inspired her divergent, successful paths since she emigrated to the United States from Mexico at age 11, speaking not a word of English, but hungry to succeed.

“If you don’t look at life as a single path, but many paths, you’d be surprised at what you can accomplish,” Villalobos told an audience of more than 300 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Warwick. “Why settle for just a piece of the sky,” she said, “when there’s a whole world out there?”

The CHisPA breakfast theme, “Celebrating our Contributions to Our Nation’s Mosaic,” focused on accomplishments of Latinos on the local and national level.

That included Villalobos, who was named “One of the 25 Most Powerful and Talented Hispanic Women in the Entertainment Industry” by the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard magazine last year. Under the Same Moon, the feature film she wrote and produced, tells the story of a young boy who leaves his home in Mexico after his grandmother dies, to find his mother, an undocumented worker in the United States. An official selection of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, it drew the highest price ($5 million) for any Spanish-language film in the history of Sundance, and broke the three-day weekend gross for a Spanish-language film in the United States.

It was released March 19, after a one-time showing at the Newport International Film Festival, where the audience was “99 percent white,” said Villalobos. The enthusiastic response heartened her. “Obviously, its themes have transcended race,” she said.

But speakers also addressed the current anti-immigrant, anti-Hispanic immigrant climate in the country.

CHisPA executive director Miguel Sánchez-Hartwein urged attendees to participate in the recently launched “Stop the Hate Speech” campaign in Rhode Island, part of a national effort, and to “participate in our nation’s democracy.”

José Velásquez, deputy vice president for the National Council of La Raza, the largest Hispanic advocacy and civil-rights organization in the country, also said a major antidote can be found at the voting booth.

He spoke of major social, political and economic gains by Hispanics across the United States. “But at a time when we should be celebrating all this,” Velásquez said, “there is a small vocal group across America” engaging in racist diatribe that has “gained traction,” even among elected officials.

He said fringe groups are referring to Latinos as, “these people,” “these hordes of people,” “who are coming here and bringing disease.”

“This is unconscionable, and we must put a stop to that,” said Velásquez. “We need you to help us push back this wave of hate.”

Referring to recent large marches for immigrants’ rights, Velásquez said, “The most important march this year is to march from your house to the polling places in November.”

The breakfast honored Dr. José M. González, former president of CHisPA’s board of directors and founder of Latino Dollars for Scholars of Rhode Island with the César Chavez Award; lawyer Angel Taveras with the Juanita Sánchez Award; and Marta V. Martínez, CHisPA’s first executive director, with the Community Engagement Award.

kziner@projo.com