Known for celebrating diversity in the entertainment industry, LEJA commended Barraza for her humorously engaging and emotionally moving portrayal of Nana, the feisty and loving Mexican grandmother to Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle). Her scene-stealing performance resonated with audiences globally. The LEJA nomination not only recognizes Barraza’s exceptional talent but also acknowledges her significant impact as a Latina actress, paving the way for the Latino community in Hollywood.

The winners of the LEJA Awards will be announced virtually on Monday, February 12.

Barraza reflected on her nomination, stating, “I’m truly honored and thankful that the LEJA Awards have recognized me with this distinguished nomination. Being nominated is already a win for any actor, but to receive the nomination for this character of Nana, which I loved playing, means even more. My most important goal was to represent this beautiful part of the Latino community in the U.S., the brave women who immigrate to our beautiful country but work tirelessly to honor their roots.”

Adriana Barraza’s illustrious career has been marked by compelling performances, earning her accolades, including Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress in “Babel.” In addition to her role in “Blue Beetle,” Barraza starred in a heartwarming supporting role in the film “Monica” alongside Trace Lysette and Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson. The film premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, receiving an 11-minute standing ovation. Barraza also captivated audiences in the lead role of Maestra Georgina in the Netflix original Mexican feature film “El Ultimo Vagón,” directed by Ernesto Contreras. The film achieved significant success on Netflix, holding the position of the #1 Spanish-language movie worldwide for six consecutive weeks and standing out as one of the most successful Netflix films of 2023. Barraza’s dedication to her craft and her ability to breathe life into unforgettable characters solidify her as a formidable presence in the entertainment industry.

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Latin Heat Media Founder and CEO  Bel Hernandez has been selected to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Credentials Committee. The committee selects new members of the HFPA, the group that presents the prestigious Golden Globe Awards.

Considered “The Godmother of Latino Hollywood,” Hernandez is one of five prominent outside journalism professionals recruited to join a committee key to diversifying the HFPA. The other members are journalist Tre’Vell Anderson, author and former TV anchor Terry Azur, publicist Toni B. Moston and USC assistant journalism professor Allissa Richardson. 

The appointments are hailed by HFPA as “one of the most important steps of their comprehensive reform plan announced in May,” when the nonprofit organization announced proposed changes to correct its failures. Those shortcomings were the subject of a Los Angeles Times expose last February which generated widespread criticism of the 78-year-old group about its inner workings and lack of diversity. After the reporting, some actors returned their Golden Globes, NBC canceled the broadcast of the awards ceremony and some HFPA members resigned.

With the Credential Committee namings and other recent changes and new proposals, the beleaguered association hopes to turn the page on this year’s controversies.  

“We are so grateful that these five highly respected journalism professionals—each with diverse backgrounds and extensive experience in their fields—are devoting their time and energy to ensure an inclusive makeup of our Association,” said recently installed HFPA Board President Helen Hoehne. “Just in the past few months, we’ve changed our governance structure from top to bottom. Inclusion will be at the core of our new organization, and this new structure will allow us to not only grow but continue to add unique, representative voices from journalists around the world.” 

Hernandez has worked as a journalist for more than four decades, with her work earning recognitions from the Hispanic Public Relations Association, Latina Style Magazine, La Opinion newspaper, Hispanic Lifestyle, National Hispanic Health Foundation, National Hispanic Media Coalition and the City of Los Angeles. 

For her work focused on Latinos in the film industry, Moviemaker Magazine dubbed Hernandez “The Godmother of Latino Hollywood.” Hernandez is at the helm of Latin Heat Media, a multi-media company creating content by and about Latinos for universal audiences. She wears many hats under the Latin Heat brand including the publisher of the online magazine Latin Heat Entertainment (LatinHeat.com), executive producer and co-host of TheTRENDTalk Show and co-founder of LATINAFest: Mind, Body & Soul, an annual event to empower Latina women.

Latin Heat’s unprecedented coverage has supported the growing impact of Latinos in Hollywood. Considered the third entertainment trade in Hollywood by many, the outlet provides business news coverage, latest breaking industry news, talent profiles, TV & films news, spotlight on talent in front and behind the camera, and inside research not found anywhere else on Latinos in Hollywood. 

An accomplished Hollywood businesswoman, Hernandez originally pursued acting as a career. And although she may have found big success as a multimedia mogul, she more recently appeared in The Purge: Anarchy and the indie film Pretty Rosebud directed by Oscar Torre.

Hernandez’s work and leadership led her to serve as a juror on the George Foster Peabody Awards Board, where she was the first Latina/o to serve as the chair of the board.  

“I am beyond honored to be part of the HFPA Credentialing Committee which is tasked with the important work of helping diversifying the make-up of their members to be as inclusive as possible,” said Hernandez. “I know first hand about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion”.

In late August, the HFPA selected a new 15-member board of directors, with four of them serving on the powerful body for the first time. This board selected Hoene as the new president in early September and also oversaw the selection of the five new outside members of the revamped Credentials Committee, which is expected to announce a “class of new members” in the next few days. 

In the past several weeks, the HFPA also appointed Shaka McGlotten, Santiago Pozo and Paula Williams Madison to its Advisory Board. Also, it named Jeff Harris, Joanna Dodd Massey and Sharlette Hambrick as the first independent board directors for the association.

Latin Heat’s Hernandez and the other four new appointees will help the Credentials Committee with its sole responsibility to “ensure potential members meet the proper requirements,” according to the association. The obscure membership approval process was one of the main criticism the exclusive, 80-something-member association has faced, leading to allegations of persistent cronyism and even racial discrimination.

The HFPA overhauled its criteria for new member applicants in August in an effort to make itself more inclusive. That includes:

• Applicants can now work for any foreign publication medium: print, radio, television, online, or be a photojournalist. The previous requirement allowed only print journalists.
• Applicants can live anywhere in the United States. This replaces the former requirement of living solely in Southern California.
• Applicants must submit eight examples of their journalistic work products from the past two years. The previous requirement was 24 examples over a three-year period. The credentials committee will set a required number of clippings in subsequent years.
• Eligibility is now expanded to journalists outside of those accredited by the Motion Picture Association, MPA.
• The sponsorship requirement is now eliminated and the role of the credentials committee will include third parties from credible journalistic and other organizations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
• New members will immediately be allowed to vote on the Golden Globes, vote on board members and serve on committees.
• All current members will be required to meet the standards as incoming members for re-accreditation of their membership. This process will take place annually, and members may begin submitting materials to the credentials committee.

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The 24-year-old actress of Argentine descent defeated past Golden Globe and Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman, who competed for their roles in Mrs. America and The Undoing, respectively. Taylor-Joy acknowledged both acclaimed actresses in her acceptance speech. She also prevailed over Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Unorthodox’s Shira Haas, both of whom—like Taylor-Joy—were first time Golden Globe nominees.

However, in the case of The Queen’s Gambit star, she got two nods for the coveted award presented by Hollywood Foreign Press Association. She also vied for the Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for Emma. The award in that category went to Rosamund Pike for I Care a Lot.

A LONG WAY FROM ATLANTIS
The Golden Globe win is a big accomplishment for Taylor-Joy, who now has earned 11 awards and 26 nominations since her debut in the 2015 fantasy series Atlantis. Accolades started to roll in that same year with The Witch, a period horror film that won the actress nine film festival prizes. Other recent movies that have brought her recognition are Glass, Marrowbone, and Thoroughbreds.

Taylor’s Golden Globe was one of two awards for the series she leads. The Queen’s Gambit also took home the prize for best television limited series or motion picture made for television. 

The awards night also featured a few other Latino stars, including actresses Rosie Perez and Salma Hayek, who were presenters, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose Hamilton musical film was nominated in two categories—for best musical or comedy motion picture and for best actor.  

JANE FONDA’S MESSAGE
One of the biggest highlights of the event was the speech delivered by actress Jane Fonda while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award, honoring the outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. Her subject: diversity in Hollywood.

“You know, we are a community of storytellers, aren’t we?,” said the On Golden Pond actress. “And in turbulent, crisis-torn times like these, storytelling has always been essential.”

Fonda talked about the power of stories and art to change hearts and minds and acknowledged the challenges one sometimes faces to understand people of diverse backgrounds at work and life. “But inevitably, if my heart is open, and I look beneath the surface, I feel kinship,” she said and called for more inclusivity in film and Hollywood. 

“So let’s all of us—including all the groups that decide who gets hired and what gets made and who wins awards—let’s all of us make an effort to expand that tent,” added Fonda, “so that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard.”

GOLDEN GLOBE: COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

Best motion picture, drama:
Nomadland

Best actress in a motion picture, drama:
Andra Day, The United States v. Billie Holiday

Best actor in a motion picture, drama:
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best motion picture, comedy or musical:
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Best actress in a motion picture, comedy or musical:
Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot

Best actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical:
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Best director, motion picture:
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

Best supporting actress in a motion picture:
Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian

Best supporting actor in a motion picture:
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best TV series, drama:
The Crown (Netflix)

Best actress in a TV series, drama:
Emma Corrin, The Crown (Netflix)

Best actor in a TV series, drama: 
Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix)

Best TV series, musical or comedy:
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)

Best actress in a TV series, musical or comedy:
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)

Best actor in a TV series, musical or comedy:
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso (Apple TV Plus)

Best limited series or TV movie:
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

Best actress in a limited series or TV movie:
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

Best actor in a limited series or TV movie:
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True (HBO)

Best supporting actress in a series, limited series or TV movie:
Gillian Anderson, The Crown (Netflix)

Best supporting actor in a series, limited series or TV movie:
John Boyega, Small Axe (Amazon)

Best screenplay, motion picture:
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best animated feature film:
Soul

Best foreign language film:
Minari (United States)

Best original score, motion picture:
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, Soul

Best original song, motion picture:
Io sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead

Featured Top Photo: Anya Taylor-Joy, left, reacts to winning best actress in a television limited series ‘The Queen’s Gambit.’ Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Rosie Perez announces the winner onstage at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Rainbow Room on February 28, 2021. Photo: Peter Kramer/NBC

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