Lights, Camera, Acciòn is an American Masters project directed by Ben DeJesus and executive produced by John Leguizamo, Michael Kantor of American Masters, and Sandie Viquez Pedlow of Latino Public Broadcasting/VOCES and David Chitel of NGL Collective premieres Tuesday, October 5, on PBS.

A co-presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES and American Masters, Lights, Camera, Acciòn is a celebration of the incredible impact Latinos have made in Hollywood — past, present and future, with a focus on the exciting new wave of talent that is transforming the industry. Featuring prominent Latino voices in film and television, this special captures the candid perspectives of talent from in front of and behind the camera, as they share their challenges, personal journeys and outlook on the future. 

In the documentary we hear from high profile A-talent who have been grandly representing Latinos in Hollywood for years. The documentary also focuses on the current writers and the on-camera talent that are now front and center, reshaping the image of Latinos in Hollywood through their work. The long list of talent include actors Edward James Olmos, Gina Torres, John Leguizamo, Chelsea Rendon, Jimmy Smits, Ivana Rojas, Esai Morales, Xolo Maridueña; showrunners Tanya Saracho (Vida), Peter Murrieta (Mr. Iglesias) and Marvin Lemus (Gentefied), media scholar Chon Noriega, and more.

“When I set out to make this film, my goal was to shed light on the incredible contributions – often unacknowledged – that Latinos have made to the history and success of Hollywood since the very beginning,” says director DeJesus. “I also wanted to showcase the new generation of talent that are now blazing their own trails, both on-screen and behind the scenes.”

“Visual media is such a powerful medium. It has the power to change the way we look at the world around us,” says executive producer Leguizamo. “Ben is on a 24/7 mission to get more of our stories out there because if people are able to see the incredible contributions that Latinx people make and have made to our society, imagine how they would look at our community. And more importantly, imagine how we would look at ourselves.”

The 24-minute documentary film premieres on Tuesday, October 5, immediately following the broadcast of American Masters — Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It at 9 p.m. (check local listings). The film will also be available for streaming on all station-branded PBS platforms, including pbs.org/americanmasters  and the PBS Video App beginning October 5.

Lights, Camera, Acciòn is a co-production of NGL Studios and Latino Public Broadcasting in association with American Masters Pictures, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Directed by Ben DeJesus. Produced by Jill Krikorian and Cionin Lorenzo. Executive Producers: Sandie Viquez Pedlow, Michael Kantor, John Leguizamo, and David Chitel. Series Producer for VOCES: Luis Ortiz. Series Producer for American Masters: Julie Sacks.

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