Rita Moreno, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Demián Bichir will be among the first recipients of the Critics Choice Association’s inaugural Celebration of Latino Cinema, honoring artists who have made significant contributions to film in 2021. The event will take place Dec. 2.
West Side Story star Moreno, one of a handful of actors who have won the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, popularly referred to as EGOT, will be presented with the Icon Award.
Hamilton legend Miranda, an acclaimed songwriter, actor and director will receive the Visionary Award.
Bichir, one of four Latino actors nominated for the Oscar for a Best Actor in the history of the Academy, will receive the Career Achievement Award.
“We are thrilled to be launching the first annual Celebration of Latino Cinema which recognizes the talented performers and skilled professionals who create the acclaimed films we are so proud to honor,” says Claudia Puig, CCA member and co-programmer of the event. Founded in 2019 with the merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, CCA is reportedly the largest critics organization in the U.S and Canada representing almost 500 television, radio and online critics and entertainment reporters.
Moreno has won all four of the most prestigious awards in show business: an Oscar, a Tony, two Emmys, and a Grammy. She recently co-starred in the critically acclaimed Latino reimagining of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom One Day At A Time. Her acclaimed documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival before being released in theaters nationwide and was aired on PBS American Masters this fall. The Puerto Rican actress also co-stars in and is an exec producer of the Steven Spielberg remake of the acclaimed musical film West Side Story, set for release this December.
A recipient of the Peabody Career Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime contributions to American culture, Moreno was also honored by her peers as the 50th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. She recently served as Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade and the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Moreno’s first-ever all-Spanish language album Una Vez Más was produced by multiple-Grammy Award-winner Emilio Estefan. Her first book, Rita Moreno: A Memoir is a New York Times bestseller. Also a dancer and singer, Moreno has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.
Songwriter, actor and director Miranda has also won some of the most prestigious honors in the arts, including a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy and Tony. He is the creator and original star of Broadway’s Tony-winning musical hits Hamilton and In the Heights. His additional Broadway credits include Freestyle Love Supreme, Bring It On: The Musical and the 2009 revival of West Side Story with Spanish translations. The New York native of Puerto Rican descent is the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors and the 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. He received an Emmy Award with Tom Kitt for their song, “Bigger.” Two of his most recent projects are Disney’s Encanto, now playing in theaters, and Netflix’s current musical movie tick, tick… BOOM! that marked his film directorial debut.
For his part, Bichir is among the most prominent and active Latino actors in Hollywood today. He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination in 2012 for his role in Chris Weitz’s A Better Life, becoming the first Mexican-born actor to be nominated in that category by the Academy since Anthony Quinn in 1957. This year, Lionsgate celebrates the 10th anniversary of A Better Life, which also earned Bichir nominations for the Independent Spirit and SAG awards. He recently received rave reviews for his performance in the film Land, directed by Robin Wright, and received a 2021 Ariel Best Actor nomination for his performance in the independent film Danyka in Mexico.
Bichir was born in Mexico City and has starred in critically acclaimed films all over the world, with more than 20 titles shot in Mexico and countries such as Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, New Zealand and Australia. His film credits include Steven Soderbergh’s Che, Oliver Stone’s Savages, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills, Paul Feig’s The Heat, Richard Shepard’s Dom Hemingway, Ridley Scott’s Alien, George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky, and Adam Wingard’s blockbuster hit Godzilla Vs. Kong.
“Films by our honorees represent the diverse and multi-faceted Latino community, and reflect our increasingly inclusive industry,” states Clayton Davis, CCA board member and co-programmer of the Celebration of Latino Cinema.
The event will be produced by Madelyn Hammond and Javier Infante of Madelyn Hammond & Associates. Production company Stagedge will be responsible for transforming the show into an immersive virtual experience.
A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to LA Collab, a project with the mission to accelerate Latino access, visibility and representation in the entertainment industry.
The event will take place Dec. 9.
Featured Photos: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Photo: Courtesy, self) / Rita Moreno (Photo: Courtesy, self) / Demian Bichir (Photo: Courtesy, self)
