LOS ANGELES — Hollywood icon Andy Garcia will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 41st Annual Imagen Awards, recognizing a career that transpired Latino representation in entertainment for more than four decades.

The Imagen Foundation announced this year’s nominees on July 16, with Apple TV+’s Acapulco leading the field with 13 nominations. The annual awards ceremony will take place on Friday, August 21, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where 25 competitive awards and three special achievement honors will be presented.

For the Imagen Foundation, Garcia’s recognition represents more than a celebration of an accomplished actor—it honors an artist whose career has consistently elevated authentic Latino storytelling both in front of and behind the camera.

“Andy Garcia represents the very best of what the Imagen Foundation has sought to celebrate for more than four decades,” said Imagen Foundation Founder and President Helen Hernandez. “From hosting the fourth annual Imagen Awards in 1989 to building a remarkable body of work as an actor, filmmaker and producer, Andy has remained committed to his craft, his community and creating opportunities for Latino talent.”

Hernandez also pointed to Garcia’s recent international acclaim, noting the nine-minute standing ovation his latest film, Diamond, received at the Cannes Film Festival as evidence of the worldwide respect he continues to command.

Hilda L. Solis Recognized for Decades of Public Service

Also receiving one of the evening’s highest honors is Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, who will be presented with the President’s Award for her distinguished public service and unwavering commitment to expanding access to the arts while advocating for Latino communities throughout Los Angeles County.

For many in Hollywood and the broader Latino community, Solis has long been recognized as a steadfast ally. Throughout her career—from the California Legislature and the U.S. Congress to serving as U.S. Secretary of Labor and now as Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors—Solis has consistently supported arts organizations, cultural institutions and initiatives that create greater opportunities for Latino artists, filmmakers and underserved communities.

A lifelong resident of the San Gabriel Valley and the daughter of immigrants from Nicaragua and Mexico, Solis has built a career centered on expanding opportunity, equity and access. Today she represents Los Angeles County’s First District, stretching from East Hollywood to Pomona, while continuing to champion cultural programming and investment in the creative economy.

Acapulco Leads the Nominees

Apple TV+’s beloved bilingual comedy Acapulco emerged as the leading nominee with 13 nominations, including Best Comedy Series, while earning recognition across directing, acting and supporting performance categories.

The series will also receive the Creative Achievement Award, honoring Apple TV+, creators Austin Winsberg and Eugenio Derbez, and showrunner Sam Laybourne for creating one of television’s most successful Latino-led productions featuring a predominantly Latino cast and crew.

“They are a shining example of how a network and creative team can create a bilingual series centered on Latino-led stories and characters that can drive crossover audience appeal,” Hernandez said.

Other productions receiving multiple nominations include Hazbin Hotel, Belén, Hacks, Stick, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Morning Show, The Night Manager, Twisted Metal and Will Trent.

Among this year’s acting nominees are America Ferrera, Zoe Saldaña, Melissa Barrera, Selena Gomez, Stephanie Beatriz, Eugenio Derbez, Ramón Rodríguez, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Wilmer Valderrama.

A Continued Call for Greater Representation

While celebrating this year’s nominees, Hernandez also issued a challenge to the entertainment industry regarding the continued underrepresentation of Latinos on screen and behind the camera.

“This year’s nominees reflect the extraordinary diversity of Latino talent across television, documentaries, independent productions, digital media and music,” Hernandez said. “However, we cannot ignore the continued lack of Latino representation in media and the fact that we are unable to present awards in the film categories Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting due to a lack of submissions.”

She added that overlooking Latino audiences carries economic consequences for the industry.

“As a business, Latinos are a $3 trillion audience, and by overlooking the value of our community, it directly affects the economic health and longevity of the entertainment industry.”

Now in its 41st year, the Imagen Awards continue to recognize excellence in film, television, documentaries, music, podcasts and digital media while advocating for authentic Latino representation across the entertainment landscape.

The complete list of nominees is available through the Imagen Foundation. The 41st Annual Imagen Awards will be presented on Friday, August 21, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. PURCHASE TICKETS

The post Andy Garcia Receives Lifetime Honor at 41st Annual Imagen Awards first appeared on .

Blue Beetle is back! Xolo Maridueña will officially reprise his role as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle in DC Studios’ upcoming Superman: Man of Tomorrow, set to hit theaters July 9, 2027. The announcement marks Maridueña’s first appearance in the new DC Universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran, reaffirming Blue Beetle as an important part of DC’s future. For Latino fans, it’s another major win as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable Latino superheroes continues his journey on the big screen. ?

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Rakes in $264.1 million With Latinos cast in Major roles

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has become one of the year’s biggest box office successes, earning $264.1 million and demonstrating once again that audiences will show up for epic storytelling. But beyond the impressive numbers is another story worth celebrating—one that has often been overlooked in Hollywood.

This time, Latinos weren’t simply part of the background. They were cast in meaningful, high-profile roles throughout one of the year’s biggest studio films.

John Leguizamo he reflects on his odyssey in Hollywood on fighting for Latino representation:

“It’s always been a battle. Hollywood is not the most accepting place. Even though we Latin people are 30% to 40% of the box office — and a third of streamers — we’re the most aggressively underrepresented group in America.”

At the end of the day representation isn’t charity. It’s good storytelling, and it’s also good business.

And The Odyssey could be the proof that it works at the global box office.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Academy Museum Announces Cinelandia Exhibition Celebrating Mexican American Cinema

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will shine a long-overdue spotlight on the rich legacy of Mexican American filmmaking with Cinelandia: Celebrating Mexican American Cinema, opening September 25, 2027. The major exhibition will trace more than a century of cinematic history, showcasing the contributions of Mexican American, Chicano, and Mexican filmmakers through hundreds of costumes, props, photographs, posters, and film artifacts from classics including La Bamba, Selena, Zoot Suit, El Norte, Coco, and Y Tu Mamá También. Organized into five thematic galleries, Cinelandia explores the evolution of representation, identity, and cultural influence in American cinema. The exhibition will remain on view through July 23, 2028. TICKETS HERE

Imagen Awards Nominations

Andy Garcia Receives Lifetime Honor at 41st Annual Imagen Awards

Hollywood icon Andy Garcia will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 41st Annual Imagen Awards, recognizing a career that transpired Latino representation in entertainment for more than four decades.

The Imagen Foundation announced this year’s nominees on July 16, with Apple TV+’s Acapulco leading the field with 13 nominations. The annual awards ceremony will take place on Friday, August 21, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where 25 competitive awards and three special achievement honors will be presented. Full list of nominees HERE

The “Shorts” End of the Imagen Awards

Also congrats to writer/Director Joey Media whose short film Roxy & The Man (Bronx Boy Entertainment, Bing Productions) a story about second chances—especially for those society has already given up on, was nominated for Best Short Film Imagen Award.. Other nominees in this category include Enseñame Como Morir (Isosceles Media, Latino Film Institute); Hangtown (1491 Films LLC, Flor de Luz); Las Cosas Que Brillan (Sotomayor Productions, Maestro Filmworks, Big Howl, Big Picture Alliance), The Apricot (Fishboy Animation, Latino Film Institute, ¡Viva Calavera!), The Birthday Gift (A Season of Rain, Teatro Vista Productions). Congrats to all the nominees!

NOTE: The Latino Box Office Effect™ is an ongoing Latin Heat analysis measuring how Latino representation and marketing influence audience engagement and commercial success.

The post The HEAT Sheet: Xolo Back in Blue; ‘The Odyssey’ Epic Casting; Lifetime Imagen To Andy Garcia; Mexican American Film At Academy Museum first appeared on .

In the crowded field of documentary shorts this awards season, the Oscar nominated The Devil Is Busy stands out not through spectacle, but through access and immediacy. Executive produced by award-winning journalists Soledad O’Brien and veteran producer Rose Arce, the film directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton offers a clear-eyed portrait of reproductive healthcare in America after the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade. directed by 

The result is one of the most quietly powerful entries in this year’s Oscar race—and a reminder that the debate over reproductive rights is no longer theoretical, but unfolding daily at clinic doors across the country.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, it didn’t just change the law—it erased half a century of protections that women in the United States had fought to secure.

“It was really back at the end of 2022 that we started thinking.  If this happens, if in fact Roe v. Wade is no longer the lay of the land, what could we do”, explained O’Brien on the urgency to “do something” immediately after the law was overturned. 

“There is actually a very strong Latina connection to all of this”, Arce points out. “During the Supreme Court oral arguments Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked the question of the Court, “Will this institution survive the stench this creates?”  Aware of the challenge ahead, O’Brien and Arce understood the mission and went to work producing the documentary. They approached the Ford Foundation and it was a Latina, Sonia Enriquez and Darren Walker who both said, yes to the funding.  “Once we had the film, a Latina executive at HBO was the one that said ‘OK…I am gong to run this’.” The Devil Is Busy has been streaming on HBO Max since September 23, 2025.

Powerfully, the film arrives guided by Latina leadership behind the scenes, bringing journalistic rigor and emotional clarity to a subject that too often gets reduced to political slogans. 

Filmed in cinéma vérité style, the 30 minute documentary short unfolds over the course of a single day, inside a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta.  Tracii, the facility’s head of security, navigates the daily reality of protecting patients and staff amid ongoing protests and heightened threats – from security sweeps of the premises to escorting patients inside while safeguarding their anonymity. 

For more than five decades, American women lived with the protections established under Roe v. Wade. The Devil Is Busy starkly contrasts that era with the new reality many patients face navigating restrictive state laws and an increasingly hostile climate surrounding reproductive care. 

Rather than relying on political commentary, the filmmakers keep the camera trained on the human infrastructure holding the system together. Tracii emerges as the film’s emotional anchor—part protector, part counselor. The documentary avoids polemics in favor of observation, allowing viewers to witness the emotional and operational toll on the staff tasked with ensuring women can still access basic healthcare.

The film’s power lies in this juxtaposition: routine healthcare operating under extraordinary pressure.

At a brisk half hour, The Devil Is Busy is compact but potent filmmaking. In an awards season often dominated by sweeping global stories, this short opts for a focused lens on a single clinic, a single day, and a single gatekeeper standing between patients and the chaos outside.

The post REVIEW: Oscar Nominated Short ‘The Devil Is Busy’: Powered by Latina Vision And Urgency first appeared on .

In addition to the live ceremony, YouTube will offer expansive Oscars coverage, including red carpet arrivals, behind-the-scenes moments, Governors Ball access, and more. The platform will also enhance accessibility for the Academy’s growing global audience through features such as closed captioning and multilingual audio tracks. Beyond Oscar night, the partnership includes exclusive worldwide access to major Academy events and programs via the Oscars YouTube channel, including the Governors Awards, nominations announcements, Student Academy Awards, Scientific and Technical Awards, filmmaker interviews, podcasts, and film education initiatives.

The collaboration extends into film preservation and education through Google Arts & Culture, which will help digitize and provide global access to select Academy Museum exhibitions and portions of the Academy Collection—the world’s largest film-related archive, comprising more than 52 million items. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor called the deal “the future home of the Oscars,” emphasizing its potential to expand global access, celebrate cinema, and inspire new generations of filmmakers. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan echoed that sentiment, describing the Oscars as a vital cultural institution poised to reach and inspire audiences worldwide.

The Academy’s current domestic broadcast partnership with Disney’s ABC will remain in place through the 100th Oscars in 2028, as will its international arrangement with Disney’s Buena Vista International.

The post YouTube Becomes the Future Global Home of the Oscars Beginning in 2029 first appeared on .

Inclusive Excellence. The IMAGEN Awards are a four-decade-long Latino awards tradition.  transcending borders to honor excellence in entertainment both in English and Spanish.  They are a bridge that reaches across the cultural board of Chicano, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Venezuelan, Dominican, Chilean, Colombian, Spanish, Brazilian, Argentine…and those who collaborate creatively with the Latino community. 

Twenty-seven categories embrace the creative contributions of the individuals whose extraordinary work alternately brings joy, understanding, hilarity, clarity, and hope to audiences of all ages.    

The Imagen Foundation’s beginning dates back to a 1983 meeting between Television Producer Norman Lear and Helen Hernandez, Vice President of Public Affairs for his company, Embassy Communications. Out of this meeting emerged the Imagen Awards competition, which aimed at recognizing and celebrating the positive portrayals of Latinos in film and television.

 “As we celebrate 40 years of the Imagen Awards, I am filled with pride for how far we’ve come in elevating Latino voices in Hollywood, Hernandez said.  “What began as a vision to create greater opportunity and representation has become a steadfast movement that continues to showcase the extraordinary talent and cultural richness of our creative community.” 

The complete list of Honorees and Winners is as follows: Gustavo Dudamel [Presidents’ Award, Dailyn Rodriguez [Norman Lear Writer’s Award] top acting honors went to: John Leguizamo, Barbie Ferreira, Sofia Carson, Benjamín Bratt, Sasha Calle, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Gabriel Luna, Rafael Cebrián, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Camila Perez, London Garcia, Liza Colón-Zayas, Brice Gonzalez, Natalia del Riego, Danny Trejo. Directors Alonso Ruizpalacios, Andor and Fede Álvarez Alien: Romulus.  Composers Gustavo Santaolalla, Javier Nuño & Joe Rodríguez. 

Winning Shows: The Last of Us, Land of Women tied with Y Llegaron de Noche, Documentary Voces: American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos, Dora won for Animation.  Best Documentary Las Amazonas de Yaxunah (ESPN) Best Informational Program ABC News Studios – “Latinos in Hollywood: Owning Our Destiny” (ABC News; ABC News Studios) Short Film Remember Us.

The Imagen Awards are scheduled to air on PBS during Hispanic Heritage Month on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 9:00 p.m. (PST). Check your local listings.

*Interviews with Nominees and Guests to Follow.  LINKS: Full list of nominees: Imagen Awards Nominees 2025; More information: imagen.org; Follow on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @imagenfoundation

The post 40th Imagen Awards Honor Latino Talent Across Film, Television And Streaming first appeared on .

“Arrive at the Gates” Column By Judi Jordan for Latin Heat

This year two of the IMAGEN Awards Best Actor in a TV Drama nominees, Pedro Pascal and Diego Luna, exemplify the IMAGEN Awards mission by portraying Latinos as layered, emotionally resonant figures at the heart of the global sci-fi phenomena. Pascal, as the grieving father tasked with protecting humanity’s last hope, and Luna, as the revolutionary mind behind a galaxy’s fight for freedom. Both prove beyond doubt their ability to anchor entire fictional universes with vulnerability and moral complexity —roles long reserved for others.

Despite their very different career paths, both have become the emotional core of massive franchises, bringing audiences around the world deeply nuanced and fully realized characters. They are themselves extensions of the best of their characters. Luna’s mantra “Cinema is a mirror that can change the world”; and Pedro’s consistent message to fans, “I Love You” emanate authentically from the personal journeys of these very different, gifted artists. 

Two of the most magnetic Latino talents in cinema now stand at the center of entertainment’s most passionate fandoms—sci-fi enthusiasts and gamers alike. Pascal and Luna’s paths to genre stardom reveal strikingly different trajectories that converge in their mastery of complex, morally ambiguous characters in beloved franchises.

Pascal’s journey embodies the classic late-bloomer narrative. Born in Chile and raised in California, he spent over two decades grinding through small television roles and theater work, always struggling financially while honing his craft. His breakthrough didn’t arrive until his mid-forties, when an introduction from steadfast friend Sarah Paulsen to David Benioff EP/Creator Game of Thrones landed him in his career-defining role as Oberyn Martell in this series. That explosive performance and dramatic death opened doors to Narcos, where he portrayed DEA agent Javier Peña, and eventually to the career-transforming role of Din Djarin in The Mandalorian. His latest TV triumph as Joel Miller in The Last of Us showcases an actor who learned patience and persistence, drawing on weathered authenticity for every role.

Luna’s path followed a more traditional arc of early success and sustained excellence. The Mexican actor burst onto the international scene at just twenty with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros, establishing himself as a formidable talent. His career has been marked by deliberate choices spanning Mexican cinema and Hollywood projects, from Y Tu Mamá También to Rogue One. In the title role of Andor, Luna brings gravitas and political complexity to Cassian Andor, crafting a revolutionary whose quiet intensity anchors Disney’s grittiest Star Wars series.

The contrast extends to their on-screen personas. Pascal’s Joel is a surrogate father figure hardened by apocalyptic loss, while Luna’s Cassian represents an idealistic rebellion gradually tempered by harsh realities. Pascal excels at emotional vulnerability beneath gruff exteriors; Luna masters contained intensity and moral ambiguity.

Both actors now navigate the uniquely demanding landscape of sci-fi and gaming fandoms—audiences notorious for their encyclopedic knowledge, fierce loyalties, and unforgiving standards for authenticity and character consistency. These hard-core fans scrutinize every detail, from source material fidelity to character motivations, making successful genre work both career-defining and career-threatening.

Yet their approaches to sci-fi stardom couldn’t be more different. Pascal has fully embraced his ascension to leading man status, particularly with his casting as Reed Richards in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. 

Initially skeptical about portraying the brilliant astrophysicist, Pascal has since thrown himself gleefully into promoting the MCU blockbuster with his characteristic warmth for fans and vulnerability with the media. Behind the confident, flirty, dancing persona lies profound vulnerability. 

In a revealing Vanity Fair interview, Pascal opened up about the heartbreak that has shaped him: his mother’s suicide when he was 24, which left him unable to celebrate birthdays for 25 years until he finally reclaimed his 50th with a multi-day celebration. “Fifty felt more vulnerable—much more vulnerable,” he admitted, describing the paradox of achieving maximum success while feeling most exposed.

Luna, by contrast, remains deliberately low-key despite his Andor acclaim. Even as executive producer of the series, he focuses on the craft rather than celebrity, consistently steering interviews toward storytelling and social issues rather than personal fame. He prefers characters with contradictions, explaining “I don’t like the moral approach of good and bad”. Luna maintains his commitment to Mexican cinema via his production company and carefully chosen international projects.

Their future trajectories reflect these contrasting philosophies. Pascal’s Marvel contract extends through Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, cementing his place in Hollywood’s biggest franchise. 

Meanwhile, Luna continues balancing intimate directorial projects like Ceniza en la Boca with thriller Eleven Days, maintaining the artistic integrity that has defined his career since Y Tu Mamá También.  However, as Andor ends its two season run, Luna will be very busy promoting the much anticipated premiere of The Kiss of the Spider Woman in which Luna stars as Valentin a political prisoner alongside Tonatiuh (as Molina) and Jennifer Lopez (as Hollywood Diva) due to premiere October 10, 2025.

Pascal and Luna have not merely survived sci-fi scrutiny, they’ve earned reverence by bringing psychological depth to characters that could easily become one-dimensional. Their contrasting approaches—Pascal’s embrace of blockbuster stardom versus Luna’s measured artistic choices—prove that great genre acting requires the same commitment to truth and complexity as any dramatic role, perhaps more so given the passionate, discerning audiences watching every move.

The Imagen Awards will take place on August 22, 2025 at The Beverly Hilton. Tickets are still available HERE

The post Pedro Pascal and Diego Luna: Sci-Fi Idols in Unique Star Vehicles first appeared on .

Written by Judi Jordan

The Imagen Awards was co-founded by legendary television producer and writer Norman Lear, who lived to the ripe age of 101, and passed in 2023. A deeply curious and humane person, Mr. Lear’s awareness of the void of positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry gave weight to the importance of positive Latino images. 

Norman Lear would be so proud of the 2025 nominees. His quest to see Latinos portrayed with respect and creativity is met in the ten categories including Drama, Comedy, Docs, Shorts and more. Helen Hernandez is the President & Founder of the Imagen Foundation who produces the Imagen Awards.

LATIN HEAT + IMAGEN  – Part One

The suave Latin devils of old Hollywood TV cliches have been replaced by a crop of intriguing, grown men with callings, consciences and inner conflicts. 

These new Drama Kings are dyslexic, intuitive, vulnerable (Will Trent/ Ramón Rodriguez) caring, conflicted, educated (The Cleaning Lady/Santiago Cabrera) regretful, emotive and resolute, (The Last of Us/Pedro Pascal) evolved, affable and effective, (Lincoln Lawyer/Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and lonely, wary, idealistic (Andor/Diego Luna) These roles played to the talent’s dramatic strengths while offering exciting nuances that kept audiences tuning in weekly or binging – streamer contingent.  

Drama Kings – modern Latin Lovers are vulnerable, aspirational, responsible and gainfully-if sometimes painfully-employed. These seasoned IMAGEN-nominated men defy the tired one-dimensional stereotypes of heartless seducers, skeezy scammers and gun-happy cholos.

Established TV and film stars in uncommen roles wowed their fans with new facets of their talent and audiences approved. With resumes, personas and ‘chops’ that TV networks and streamer execs respect, TV showrunners craft episodes that highlight and challenge their characters’ strengths. 

Three seasons of Will Trent blew up the long, steady career of Ramón Rodriguez! Who knew he had 20+ film roles on his resume including G-20, Gang Related, Transformers? His memorable early TV work on The Wire 2002-2008 laid the foundation. By the time Will Trent arrived, Ramón Rodriguez, in the title role, was more than ready. His heartfelt, eccentric Southern detective is fascinating, never parodied. Will Trent, broken and brave feels embedded in his soul, but joy has crept into the series with dance numbers that lighten the storyline and a thoughtful, romantic storyline with Gina Rodriguez that fans loved.

An executive producer on the show, Rodriguez directed the exceptional Season 3 premiere episode and will direct again in Season 4. Deadline broke the story that Rodriguez recently signed a multi-year deal with 20^th Television, to develop and produce series and films for Disney, a fitting outcome for the gifted, dedicated multi-hyphenate. 

Santiago Cabrera is nominated for his dark turn as Jorge Sanchez, the highly-reluctant Harvard-educated drug cartel leader of the Sin Cara Cartel, in the gritty Fox/Hulu series The Cleaning Lady. Chilean-born Cabrera joined the show in seasons 3 and 4. Typically cast as the hero, female fans still swoon over his pitch-perfect portrayal of dashing, soulful Aramis in the 3-season BBC hit show Musketeers, now airing on Hulu. His 20-year working streak of good guy supporting and leads in Picard, Heroes, Merlin, Salvation, and prestige series romantic roles in Big Little Lies, Flight Attendant, Land of Women, and a kindly ghost Richard Deetz in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice called for a change. 

Cabrera had resisted drug lord roles for years; but tempted by the premise, he used his discomfort – his very conflicted Jorge feels real. He admits, “It was fun to play the bad guy.” Audiences witnessed a very different Cabrera with a gun in his hand wading through cartel carnage as the ambiguous yet ambitious man with a plan that goes south by the hour. Not to mention a fraudulent marriage with Thony, a fearless Cambodian female doctor (played by Elodie Yung), who dissects bodies of cartel enemies in exchange for his protection. Plagued at every step by his obsessed sociopath sister Ramona (Kate de Castillo) for control of Sin Cara, Santiago’s Jorge is an idealist, out of his depth in the blood-soaked world.  

STAY TUNED.  NEXT UP: Sci-Fi Nominees

The post Drama Kings: The Imagen Award Actor Nominees Crush The Cliches first appeared on .

By Catherine Jones

This year, Zoe Saldaña took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez, becoming the first actor of Dominican descent to do so. Her win should have been an unfiltered celebration, a long-overdue moment of recognition. Instead, it was met with controversy.

Saldaña’s acceptance speech was overshadowed by backlash from Mexican audiences, who criticized the film’s portrayal of their country. “I’m very, very sorry that many Mexicans felt offended,” she said in the Oscars press room. “That was never our intention.”

The tension surrounding her win speaks to a deeper, ongoing issue in Hollywood. It’s one where actors of color are often celebrated within a narrow, predetermined space while the industry drags its feet on true systemic change.

“Victory for Saldana is complex. It is celebratory for minority actors vying for inclusion, but simultaneously it is for a film mired in ethnic and cultural controversy,” UK-based Author Ben Arogundade explains. “So much so that Saldana herself felt the need to apologise to Mexicans for being disrespected in the film’s production.”

Arogundade adds, “Saldaña is only the second Afro-Latina ever to win an Oscar, and the eleventh Black woman to win Best Supporting Actress. Although her victory is celebratory, it also reveals the extent to which Black and Latina actresses are restricted to this award, but seldom the top prize of Best Actress. To date, only one black woman has ever won it (Halle Berry), and no Latinas at all, in almost a century.”

New Book That Shows Why Saldaña’s Win is Not Enough

In his newly released book “Hollywood Blackout,” Arogundade dissects racism in the film industry and how Hollywood’s diversity problem is still far from solved. Latin Heat caught up with the author, who is now on a press tour to promote his book in the United States, to ask him about his book and his findings. As it turns out, the Oscars are truly a mirror of Hollywood’s ongoing struggles with diversity.

Latin Heat: In your research, what was the most shocking discovery you made about Latino representation in Hollywood?

Ben Arogundade:  The way that they were negatively represented on screen in early Hollywood — as bandits, philanderers and ‘greasers’ — stereotypes that would take root for decades, and still linger within film culture today.

LH: How do Latino experiences compare to those of Black actors?

BA:  Very similar. All minorities, in film terms, were traditionally considered ‘second class’. Blacks and Latinos have suffered many of the same humiliations and stereotypes at the hands of a dominating white culture that sees them as ‘less than’. Just as Black actress Hattie McDaniel was corralled into being a career maid within Hollywood film, Rita Moreno suffered the same fate. Both women, despite winning Oscars, were not permitted to escape their typecasting.

LH: Many people are familiar with the lack of Black winners at the Oscars, but Latino actors are often overlooked in these conversations. Why do you think their exclusion has been less widely discussed?

BA: Before this year’s Academy Awards, Black actors had won Oscars on 23 occasions, while Latinos had won just four times. Four times! African Americans have fared better overall because they have lobbied and campaigned the hardest over time. From the early 1900s civil rights leaders and Black newspapers consistently demonstrated against Hollywood’s racism. Latinos by comparison have been less active and less vocal over the timeline. The Latino equivalent of Spike Lee — shouting for equality, has been missing. Worst of all though, Native Americans and South Asians, the least active, have won almost nothing as actors at the Oscars. So, the intensity and duration of agitation seems to correlate with the amount of Oscars won.

LH: Hollywood often celebrates itself as being diverse and progressive. Based on your research, do you think there has been real progress, or is the industry still struggling with the same systemic issues?

BA:  Yes and no. Undoubtedly there has been progress. The Academy started in 1927 with 33 white men and three women, who were mostly Americans. Latinos and blacks were barred from major roles, and their parts played by white actors. Today, minorities feature in major productions. The Academy has 11,000 members from over 70 countries, 20 per cent of whom are from under-represented backgrounds, and a third of whom are women. This is changing the types of films nominated, and the actors within them. This year, two non-English-language films made the Best Picture list, and gay and trans artists featured amongst the acting nominations. This has never happened before. But on the flip side, progress has been patchy. Emilia Perez was criticised for its old, stereotypical view of Latinos, and for excluding Mexicans from a production that appropriated their culture. Zoe Saldana was rightly celebrated as the second Afro-Latina to win Best Supporting Actress — but minorities have been relegated to only winning in this category, and have been shut out of the top prize of Best Actress, where Blacks have won once and Latinos not at all, after almost a century.

LH: If you could change one thing about the way the Oscars recognise talent, particularly for Black and Latino actors, what would it be?

BA: The Academy, particularly under its former leader, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, has done a good job in diversifying the roster of film professionals who vote for the Oscars, and this revision continues. So, if I could change anything now, it would probably not be there, but at the other end of the chain — when writers, directors, producers and casting agents are formulating projects. If these people can think in more expansive ways when casting actors, more Blacks, Latinos and others would feature in qualitative, major roles that might then get nominated, and then hopefully onto the podium on Oscars’ night. The streamers are doing a better job of this at the moment. But changing ingrained stereotypes within the white Hollywood psyche is not easy.

LH: What impact do you think your book will have on the industry?

BA: None, probably — although I am open to being surprised. I think its influence is more likely to be felt by the diverse people outside Hollywood, or who are trying to get in, who read it and learn something about the way things work, and why. ‘Hollywood Blackout’ might inform some strategy or enlightening moment for them. History books like mine are more important than ever right now, with people in America opposing diversity while forgetting the historical fact that diversity is what built America. It’s what made America great.

About the Writer: Catherine Jones is the Editor-At-Large for Nuestro Stories. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post Magazine, USA Weekend, Huck, People, and dozens of other media publications. She’s also written about the Latino community for television segments on the Today show and NY1 Noticias.

The post History at the Oscars—But Hollywood’s Diversity Problem Still Looms first appeared on .

And The Oscar Goes To…

All the signs are there pointing to a big night for Emilia Pérez, beginning with the Venice Film Festival where the three lead actresses, Karla Sofía Gascòn (El Senior de los cielos), Zoe Saldaña (Avatar, Lioness) and Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building), all share the Best Actress Award, afirst for that prestigious film festival.

At the Golden Globes, Saldaña’s show stopping singing and dancing performance of El Mal, won for Best Song, The genre busting, musical, drama, crime story, gender bending saga of physical, spiritual change and search for redemption, also won Best Film from France, as well as Best Motion Picture.

Legendary blockbuster filmmaker / director, James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) said; “Emilia Pérez is just not like any other film that’s ever been made. It’s bold, daring, a vision.” And that daring and vision has resulted in 13 Oscar nominations including for: Best Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, International Feature, Supporting Actress, Actress, Director and Picture.

Zoe Saldaña is a shoo-in to win Best Supporting Actress. She’s already taken honors at the Golden Globes, Critic’s Choice and BAFTA award shows. All that’s missing is a Nobel Peace Prize and Baseball’s MVP Award. Look for Zoe to bring down the house when she performs El Mal.  Zoe has shown herself to be a topflight action/adventure star in Avatar, Guardians of the Universe and my favorite TV series; Lioness. But as the morally conflicted lawyer, Rita Mora Castro, Zoe Saldaña brings her acting, singing and dancing talents in full, brilliant display that will surely garner her Best Supporting Actress honors.

Karla Sofía Gascón is the first trans person ever nominated for an Academy Award. As the arch criminal, drug cartel kingpin, Manitas, who is surgically transformed into Emalia Pérez, Gascón’s portrayal is eerie, chilling, disturbing, but ultimately sympathetic and one colored with humanity. Manitas is an evil dude who through his metamorphosis into Emilia, tries valiantly to cleanse his soul and find ultimate redemption as a human being…as a woman.

Right now, Gascón is the betting favorite to win best Actress, but she faces stiff sentimental competition from Demi Moore in The Substance. However, Gascón’s nomination has been plagued over a controversy revolving around some seemingly racist remarks she made on social media. Hollywood immediately responded by essentially blackballing her. She was excluded from Netflix’s marketing campaign for the film. Even some of her co—stars and director of the movie expressed extreme disappointment in her perceived racist remarks and distanced themselves from her.

Initially, Netflix refused to pay for Gascón to attend the Oscars but have since reversed themselves and are paying for her to attend the ceremonies. Could it be Netflix senses (as this writer does) Emilia Pérez is going to win a boatload of Oscars and it will be a huge feather in Netflix’s streaming platform cap?

This controversy also raises the question: Do we punish artists for offensive behavior or remarks outside of their art? I think not. Mel Gibson said awful things about Jewish people. He was not blackballed and went on to make Hacksaw Ridge and Apocalypto  to critical praise. Gibson subsequently apologized for the remarks and so has Karla Sofía Gascón for her unfortunate social media posts.

Hopefully, the dark cloud of controversy over the nomination of Karla Sofía Gascón will dissipate, and the Academy will judge her solely for her groundbreaking performance in Emilia Pérez. 

That performance by this talented trans person has cultural and social significance because in this current political climate where homophobia, and hatred of the LGBTQ+ community has been validated in Executive Orders signed in bold Magic Marker scrawls, a Best Actress Oscar for Gascón would send a much-needed ray of hope and light in these uncertain times.

Selena Gomez did not receive an Oscar nomination for her role as Jessi del Monte, the troubled wife of Manitas. She did receive acting nods from BAFTA and the Golden Globes and this often award snubbed actress who has grown from a tiny tyke on Barney, the Purple Dinosaur, to a teen star on the Disney Channel’s The Wizards of Waverly Place, to an international pop singing sensation to currently being the pillar in the acting trio of Steve Martin and Martin Short on Only Murders in the Building, has proven in her tough, dark performance in Emilia Pérez,she is more than ready to take on serious, demanding  dramatic roles and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

The Oscars are right around the corner, and it looks like a battle between Wicked and Emilia Pérez to take top honors. Will this be the year Latino Hollywood can at long last finally celebrate by grabbing the brass ring? Well, I echo Manitas’ cooly confident affirmation: “Bingo!”
The Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, air on Sunday, March 3, on ABC and stream on Hulu.

The post Why Emilia Pérez Wins Big at the Academy Awards first appeared on .

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), a cornerstone event closing out the 2024 film festival circuit, has set the stage for what is shaping up to be an exciting 2025 awards season. Among the standout contenders is Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, which has captured attention with its daring storytelling, stellar performances, and a narrative that resonates deeply with audiences and critics alike. After a strong showing at Palm Springs, the film is already being touted as a potential awards-season juggernaut.

This past Friday, Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard was honored with the prestigious Vanguard Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The award was presented by to him by the film’s three leading stars—Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Zoe Saldaña. This recognition, arriving just days before the 82nd Golden Globes airing today, Sunday, January 5, 2025, has amplified excitement around Emilia Pérez and its prospects for awards season glory.

When the Golden Globe nominations were unveiled in December, Emilia Pérez made history with an extraordinary 10 nominations—the most ever for a film in the Musical/Comedy category. Including for the three female stars:

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Karla Sofía Gascón and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture: Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña

The nominations have placed a bright spotlight on the film’s cast and creatives, as a strong performance at the Globes is often seen as a bellwether for Oscar success.

Here is the full list of Emilia Pérez’s Golden Globe nominations:

• Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
• Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language: Emilia Pérez (France)
• Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Karla Sofía Gascón
• Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture: Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña
• Best Director – Motion Picture: Jacques Audiard
• Best Screenplay – Motion Picture: Jacques Audiard
• Best Original Score – Motion Picture: Clément Ducol, Camille
• Best Original Song – Motion Picture:
  • “El Mal” – Music by Clément Ducol, Camille; Lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard
  • “Mi Camino” – Music & Lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille

As the awards season officially kicks off, Emilia Pérez seems poised to be a defining presence. Whether this Golden Globes momentum translates to Oscar glory remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: all eyes are firmly on this groundbreaking film and its exceptional team.

The post All Eyes on ‘Emilia Perez’ at the Golden Globes Tonight first appeared on .