How can a movie with a Mexican-American theme tell the story of all America? Why aren’t there more movies that reflect the increasingly complex racial and ethnic demography of our country? How can filmmakers make movies that gather audiences that reflect this new America?

These are some of the questions writer and director Luis Valdez, producer Moctesuma Esparza, and film critic Claudia Puig took on at a “What It Means to Be American” event in Los Angeles.

In front of a crowded …