Max Alvarez is an author, film historian, and public speaker who produces multimedia programs on world cinema culture for New Plaza Cinema in Manhattan. A visiting scholar and guest lecturer for The Smithsonian Institution, Alvarez is the former film curator at National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. His presentation partnerships to broaden understanding of the cultural impact of film have included Museum of the Moving Image, The New York Public Library System, 92Y, Columbia University; University of California, Los Angeles and Berkeley; the American Film Institute, The Library of Congress, the U.S. Department of State, Fulbright Scholars Program, the National Gallery of Art in D.C., and numerous embassies and cultural offices.