Mexican American filmmaker Gregory Nava’s 1997 film “Selena” was nominated for inclusion in the National Film Registry by members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, as the group eradicated its efforts to eradicate the “film industry’s continued exclusion from Latinos” , “Rep. Castro, D-Texas, said Friday in a letter to Congress Librarian Dr. Carla Hayden.
“Selena is an American icon and she is so celebrated within the Latino community,” Castro, who is also the chairman of the Hispanic Caucus of Congress, told NBC News. “I think part of confirming that was not only the success of the film, but also the recent success of the television series.”
The film starring Jennifer Lopez depicts the life, remarkable rise and tragic death of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla. The film also touches on important themes of cultural identity and assimilation facing Mexican American communities as they navigate their personal connections between two cultures and languages.
“Given its importance as a Latino cinema work, we believe it deserves preservation at the Library of Congress,” Castro’s letter to Hayden reads. “We trust that you will carefully consider Selena and hope that it will be included in the titles added to the National Film Register in 2021.”
Nava, who directed the film, responded to the nomination in a statement: “For too long, the contribution of American Latinx filmmakers to the film industry has been overlooked and underrepresented. Our community is important and growing and our stories need to be told “I applaud the Spanish-Spanish caucus’s efforts to draw attention to this and honor the achievements of Latinx filmmakers.”
“Latinos are generally left out of the representation of American culture, and this is one attempt to ensure that Latinos are represented in the narration of American culture and the retelling of American culture, and part of it. includes American films, “says Castro.
Even two decades after the release of ‘Selena’, Latinos are still significantly under-represented in Hollywood movies. A recent study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that 44 of the 100 top movies in 2019 have absolutely no Latin characters with speaking roles, a rate that does not differ much from 2018 (47 films) or 2015 (40 films) .
Only 4.9 percent of the speaking roles in last year’s top 100 films received Spanish actors, although Latinos represent almost 19 percent of the country’s population. According to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Latinos were the only major racial and ethnic group to be under-represented in screen roles in 2019. Latinos made up only 3.7 percent of the film directors.
Castro said he has a renewed sense of urgency to tackle what he sees as a fundamental issue for the Latino community, following the deadliest attack on Latinos in recent U.S. history in 2019.
After hearing that the gunman who killed 23 people at a local Walmart in El Paso, Texas, told authorities he was targeting people of Mexican descent, Castro sent an official delegation of members of Congress to Taken to Los Angeles to meet with study leaders, talent agencies. , the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild of America, and about 40 Latino and Latina actors, directors, producers.
“People have preconceived notions about you based on the group you are part of. And these ideas come in many ways from American media and entertainment,” Castro said. “Hollywood remains the foremost narrative creative and image-determining institution in the United States and in the American media.”
A recent Nielsen study examining diversity and inclusion on TV found that overall representation for Latinos on television was 5.5 percent throughout 2019. “It’s not great,” said Stacie de Armas, senior vice president of diverse consumer insights and initiatives for Nielsen. told NBC News. “Latinos were significantly underrepresented on every platform, every genre and in total.”
“And yet the entertainment industry is a massive tax break across the country at various levels of government,” Castro said. “You have to wonder at what point we are subsidizing our own exclusion. And that is where I think the government is coming.”
“There are a lot of progressive individuals in Hollywood who donate to amazing causes and incredibly progressive candidates, but the system as a whole is not progressive at all. In reality, it is quite backward and exclusive,” Castro added. “We are serious about seeing real change so that our community can be included in this industry which claims to be a very liberal industry.”
During the new year, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is expected to identify more films that “contain the American Latino experience” that could be included in the National Film Register in the future. Members of the public can also nominate films for inclusion in the 2021 National Film Registry by visiting the Library of Congress’ nomination website.
The Library of Congress has already included Latino films such as ‘Salt of the Earth’, ‘I Am Joaquin’, ‘Zoot Suit’, ‘El Norte’, ‘Stand and Deliver’ and ‘Real Women Have Curves’ in the National. Film register. Last month, they included German filmmaker Wim Wenders’ documentary “Buena Vista Social Club,” which follows famous guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, as they travel to Havana, Cuba, to reunite with some of the biggest stars of Cuban pop music. . from the Batista era.
While Castro’s term as chairman of the Hispanic Caucus of Congress ends, he will continue to work on the issues as a member of the caucus and through his own congressional office, he said. He also hopes to expand his efforts to address the invisibility of the Latino community in other media industries such as publishing and news.
“It will be an incredible day when Latino children, but also all Americans, can see the full story of a community that is not only large in this country, but that has contributed significantly to its prosperity over the generations and success, “Castro said. .
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