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 .

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 .

Joining the exclusive ranks of Rita Moreno, a Puerto Rican trailblazer, and Lupita Nyong’o, today Oscar nomination of America Ferrera makes a notable dent in the lack of diversity for Latinos in Hollywood.

Ferrera’s nomination not only celebrates her exceptional talent but also symbolizes a positive shift in the industry’s recognition of Latinx performers. Known for her impactful roles in projects like Real Women Have Curves and Ugly Betty, Ferrera has consistently broken barriers and challenged stereotypes.

Ferrera’s journey reflects the increasing acknowledgment of diverse voices in the entertainment world. Her presence in the Oscar nomination list is a testament to the importance of representation and the ongoing efforts to promote inclusivity in the film industry.

In a landscape where Latinx representation remains a crucial topic, America Ferrera’s Oscar nomination stands as a beacon of inspiration, paving the way for more Latinx talent to be recognized and celebrated on the grand stage of the Academy Awards.

This year Latinos were also nominated in various categories either for individual statues, or as part of a team.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Colman Domingo
Rustin

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

America Ferrera
Barbie

AIMATED FEATURE FILM

Robot Dreams
Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Killers of the Flower Moon
Rodrigo Prieto

MUSIC (Original Song)

“The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren – Performed by Becky G

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Society of the Snow
Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé

The 96th Oscars will be broadcast on Sunday, March 10, 2024 on ABC. Those without access to ABC can still watch the Oscars live with streaming services that offer live television, including Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and FuboTV

The post Latino Oscar Nominees 2024 first appeared on .

Shura is a compelling short documentary film that transcends its brief runtime to deliver a poignant and inspiring narrative. Co-written, directed and produced by Kayvon Derak Shanian and David Damian Figueroa, this Oscar qualifying film delves into the life of a remarkable woman whose resilience, determination and love for her fellow man can, and does make a difference in the lives of the undocumented, showcasing the profound impact one individual can have on their community and beyond.

The film’s subject, Shura Wallin, who is the co-founder of the humanitarian group The Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritans, has spent the majority of her life with a handful of volunteers to save lives on the Arizona border. Living about a mile from the Sonoran desert, Shura travels to the border to fill water tanks and patrol migrant trails on both sides of the I-19 corridor offering help to anyone that may cross her path.

Across the Mexican border in Nogales, she works out of the faith-based El Comedor center, serving meals, distributing supplies to people deported from the U.S. and others contemplating the trek north.

The film stays close to its protagonist, offering a glimpse of a day in the life of an advocate who has dedicated the last years of her life to being of service to others. A black belt in Karate, one can see how her years of training have lent a hand in not only the mental fortitude Wallin possesses, but the physical fortitude it takes to trek over hills and valleys to bring supplies to the many migrants crossing the border.

The cinematography is a standout feature, capturing the essence of Shura’s story with visually striking compositions captured, quite refreshingly, on an iPhone 13 . Co-directors’ Figueroa and Shanian’s keen eye for detail and the thoughtful use of imagery, contribute to the emotional impact of the film, enhancing the audience’s connection to the narrative. Furthermore, the pacing of the documentary is expertly handled, ensuring that each moment serves a purpose in advancing Shura’s story. The concise runtime and unorthodox camera choice does not compromise the depth of the narrative but rather enhances its accessibility, making it an ideal candidate for the short documentary category at the Oscars.

At its core, Shura serves as a testament to the power of one person’s dedication to making a difference. Shura’s unwavering commitment to her cause becomes a beacon of hope, illustrating how a single individual can catalyze change and inspire others to join the fight for justice, equality, or whatever cause they hold dear.

CAST and CREW:

Participating as themselves: Shura Wallin, Pastor Randy Mayer , Rita Henninger Danks, Jaime Brusstar, Steve Feldman and Richard Ramirez

Directors / Writers / Producers Kayvon Derak Shanian, David Damian Figueroa

Executive Producer: Pepe Serna

Running Time: 22 Minutes

The post REVIEW: ‘Shura’ Is Small But Mighty, In More Ways Than One first appeared on .

AMPAS, with its 17 branches of on-camera and behind-the-scenes artists, is the governing body that oversees the selection of the Academy Awards.  Membership selection is based on professional qualifications by reviewed by their peer group.

Of this year’s 397 membership invites, thirty-six (36) Latinos have been invited to join the voting branches that decide who will receive the Oscar in their category.  

Enrique Castillo (Deja Vu, Blood In Blood Out) who became a member of AMPAS in 2016 knows too well what an honor it is to be asked to join AMPAS. We reached out to him for a quote.

“I congratulate this year’s Latino invitees to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. It’s a fitting recognition of your talent, hard work and perseverance. I look forward to joining you in being a voice and advocate for Latino artists in the entertainment industry and in the ranks of the Motion Picture Academy”.

The Short Films and Feature Animation branch had the most Latine membership invites with a total of eleven (11). They include Academy Award-winning producer Yvett Merino (Encanto, Wreck-It Ralph), Writer/Producer/Director K.D. Dávila (Please Hold, Emergency) and Effects Supervisor Erin Ramos  (Encanto, Frozen II)

Among the five actors invited are Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, Olga Merediz  (In the Heights, Adrift), Golden Globe winner Anya Taylor-Joy  (The Northman, Last Night in Soho) and veteran actor Marco Rodriguez  (El Chicano, Unspeakable)

Here is the breakdown on the all Latine artists per AMPAS Branch by number of invitees:

SHORT FILMS & FEATURE ANIMATION: 11

Michael Arias – (Harmony, Tekkonkinkreet)

Enrico Casarosa  (Luca, La Luna)

Karla Castañeda (La Noria (The Waterwheel), Jacinta)

Hugo Covarrubias  (Bestia, The Night Upside Down)

K.D. Dávila (Please Hold, Emergency)

Joe Mateo (Blush, Big Hero 6)

Yvett Merino (Encanto, Wreck-It Ralph)

Jetzabel Moreno Hernández  (The Followers, Plums and Green Smoke)

Brian Pimental (Tarzan, A Goofy Movie)

Erin Ramos  (Encanto, Frozen II)

Leo Sanchez  (The Windshield Wiper, Over the Moon)

ACTING BRANCH: 6

Ariana DeBose (West Side Story, The Prom)

Robin de Jesús (tick, tick…BOOM!, The Boys in the Band)  

BarBara Luna  (The Concrete Jungle, Five Weeks in a Balloon)

Olga Merediz  (In the Heights, Adrift)

Marco Rodriguez  (El Chicano, Unspeakable)

Anya Taylor-Joy  (The Northman, Last Night in Soho)

DIRECTORS: 5 

Bruno Villela Barreto  (Four Days in September, The Kiss)

Mariano Barroso (Ants in the Mouth, Ecstasy)

Jeferson Rodrigues de Rezende (The Malê Revolt, Bróder!)

Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard, Monsters and Men)

Isabel Sandoval (Lingua Franca, Apparition)

PRODUCERS: 3

Cristina Gallego (Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent)

Laetitia Gonzales  (Plot 35, Tournée)

Sara Silveira  (Good Manners, Vazante)

Marketing and Public Relations: 3

Chrissy Quesada

Jerry Rojas

Evelyn Santana

DOCUMENTARY: 2

Emílio Domingos  (Favela Is Fashion, L.A.P.A.)

Cristina Ibarra  (The Infiltrators, Las Marthas)

SOUND: 2

Ruth Hernandez – “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Brooklyn’s Finest”

Waldir Xavier – “From Afar,” “Central Station”

VISUAL EFFECTS: 2

Joe Ceballos  (Skyscraper, Thor: Ragnarok)

Marcos Fajardo Orellana (Thor,  Monster House)

COSTUME DESIGNERS: 1

Tatiana Hernández (The Japon, Lope)

MEMBERS AT LARGE: 1

Ilda Santiago

CLICK HERE FOR FULL LIST

The post The Academy of Motion Pictures Invites 36 Latine Artists to Join first appeared on .

Oscar-nominated actress Catalina Sandino Moreno is trying horror again, a genre she has explored only a few times in her career. 

The  Colombian-born artist stars in the current Epix television series From, about a mysterious town that traps everyone who arrives, in the middle of a large forest and with terrifying creatures that come out at night.

“This show can be very scary,” Moreno says. For starters, once newcomers set foot in the town, there is seemingly no road that can lead them out of the nightmare they just entered. That is exactly what Moreno’s character discovered one day when she and her family arrived in their recreational vehicle and asked for directions to a highway whose sign they may have missed. After getting directions from a resident, the family tries to leave but soon find themselves back in the town, over and over again. Nighttime bring only more surprises and terror. 

“It is meant to be very scary,” chimes in show’s creator and writer John Griffin, a budding filmmaker whose only other credit on the website IMDb is writer of one episode for the TV horror series The Twilight Zone. “The show really began with the idea of what it would be like if the reality that you knew were taken away and your day-to-day reality literally became a nightmare.”

Interjects Moreno, “And there are monsters in those nightmares.” She plays Tabitha Matthews, a wife and the mother of a young boy and teen daughter. “My husband, my son and I have moved into a town in middle America that traps everyone who enters. We are plagued by the threats, including terrifying nocturnal creatures.” 

Cast as Tabitha’s family are Eion Bailey (Once Upon a Time) as husband Jim, Simon Webster (Lucas the Spider) as son Ethan and Hannah Cheramy (Van Helsing, series) as daughter Julie. Other cast members include Harold Perrineau, Shaun Majumder, Avery Konrad, Ricky He, Elizabeth Saunders and Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks.

A native of Bogotá, Moreno was studying acting at the Colombian capital’s Pontificia Universidad Javeriana when she was plucked out to play the lead in Maria Full of Grace (Maria: Llena de Gracia ) in 2004. In the U.S.-Colombian co-production, Moreno is Maria Álvarez, a pregnant Colombian teenager who becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family. That first role launched Moreno’s international career, receiving an Academy Awards nomination for her performance and earning her the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival 2004, an honor she shared in a tie with Charlize Theron for Monster.

Her acclaimed debut performance led her to move to New York to continue studying acting and soon joined other international and Hollywood movies like France’s Paris, Je T’Aime, Fast Food Nation and Love in the Time of Cholera, co-starring with actors like Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt and Benicio Del Toro. She also has appeared in the TV series The Bridge, American Gothic and East Los High.

To dramas, thrillers and comedies, she also added horror projects like the TV movie Incarnate and the indie films Pure Magic and At the Devil’s Door.

The new Epix series brings Moreno back to the scary genre. 

“In From, I think my first meeting of ‘the creatures’ is in episode three, we’re moving into our house,” she says. “And they’re not that scary, at first. I mean like they’re just normal people walking towards you, but then you learn what they can do.” In those encounters, death is a strong possibility.

The horror sometimes felt real in the set, according to the director. “I’ll add one more thing about the monsters,” says Bailey, the show’s creator. He recalled the filming of a dream sequence in which a creature frightened Simon, the child actor playing the son. “And if we ever had a chance to see how sufficiently frightening these creatures are, we saw it by how Simon responded,” stated the filmmaker. “One of the cast members, very thankfully, recognized that Simon was definitely afraid. We had to comfort him and put an arm around him and tell him, ‘It’s going to be okay.’”

Echoing the director’s concerns, Moreno also considered the need to address the impact of horror scenes on the cast members, especially children. “I remember me asking, ‘Can we just talk about this scene?’,” recalls the actress, adding that throughout the shooting of the episodes the collaboration with the cast and crew felt great. Her personal experience and Latino culture also helped Moreno with the role of Tabitha. “I think it’s helpful to just imprint some of (myself) into my character,” explains the Colombian thespian. “I think we all did that. I hope so. As a Latinx mother of a 13-year-old, I think we do things differently from other cultures.” She concludes, “I think it was interesting to bring myself into this woman I was playing. I really enjoyed doing that.”

The From crew features other filmmakers who have worked in major Hollywood productions, including an award-winning Puerto Rican.

Joining Bailey as a writer is Javier Grillo-Marxuach, a Boricua whose writing and producing credits include the series Lost and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, both of which earned him Primetime Emmys for production. 

The series is executive produced by Josh Appelbaum (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Jack Bender (Lost), Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame) and Jeff Pinkner (Fringe). Tom Luse (The Walking Dead) is a consulting producer.

From premiered Feb. 20 and airs Sundays. For international audiences, the show streams on Netflix.

The post Catalina Sandino Moreno Fighting Horror in Epix Series ‘From’ first appeared on .

Actors Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Ariana DeBose and director Guillermo Del Toro stand out among the 14 Latinos nominated for the 94th Academy Awards. Consequently, Twenty-twenty-two and 2006 tie as the years with the most Latino candidacies in Oscars history. Notably, this year’s nods for Latinos are across the board and include nominations in the most coveted categories. 

Del Toro’s film noir Nightmare Alley nabbed four noms, including Best Picture for the Mexican cineaste, while Disney’s Encanto, set in a magical Colombia, got three, including Animated Feature Film. 

Two other movies with Latino connections that received multiple nominations are the biopic Being the Ricardos with three, including one for Bardem as a leading actor, and West Side Story with seven, with one for DeBose as a supporting actress.

INCLUSION, LAYERED STORIES
This year’s inclusion of three Latino noms in the acting categories is a reminder of the power and impact of inclusion, diversity and accurate and multi-dimensional portrayals of minorities in film, for which Latinos have been pressing for decades. The noms were arguably made possible by projects with Latino themes and featuring prominent Latino roles, namely Encanto, West Side Story and Being the Ricardos. Moreover, the candidacies of Bardem, Cruz and DeBose are history-making. 

TWO SPANISH ICONS BOTH WITH FOUR NOMS EACH
In what may be a first, Spain’s husband-wife duo Bardem and Cruz could be the couple that has each received four Oscar nominations and won an Oscar each.

Bardem’s Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar nom for Being the Ricardos is his fourth for the Oscars, winning for his role of a psychopathic killer in No Country for Old Men in 2008. His nod this year ties him with Mexican-born thespian Anthony Quinn as the Latino male actor with the most Academy Award nominations in history. 

In a statement released by Bardem yesterday, he congratulated his fellow nominee in the best actor category, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Garfield.

The 2022 Oscars edition also brings a fourth Oscar nod for Cruz, who competes in Actress in a Supporting Role for Madres Paralelas, her seventh collaboration with acclaimed director Pedro Almodovar. This year’s fourth nomination makes Cruz the Latina actress with the most Oscar nominations. In 2008 she won the Academy Award for the romantic dramedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, directed by Woody Allen.

Other nominees in this category include Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart.

LATINA & BLACK
DeBose, a proud Afro-Latina, received a nod for Actress in a Supporting Role for playing Anita in Steven Spielberg’s reimagined musical West Side Story. She is the first U.S. born Latina of black descent to be nominated for the Academy Award. The role of Anita won her the Golden Globe earlier this year.

Rita Moreno played Anita in the original 1960 musical feature, taking home both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for her role. History could repeat itself if DeBose can replicate Moreno’s win of both these two industry awards for playing the same character.

In her first shot for the Academy Award, Debose joins a category that includes nominees Jessie Buckley, Judi Dench, Kirsten Dunst and Aunjanue Ellis.

‘ENCHANTING’ PRODUCTION, MUSIC
All three nominations for Encanto include Latinos. In Best Animated Film, Chicana filmmaker Yvett Merino is one of three producers sharing the honor. 

The Disney animated film’s two other nods are for music. Lin-Manuel Miranda vies for the prize for Original Song with the Spanish-language ballad “Dos Oruguitas,” giving the acclaimed Puerto Rican a second chance to become an EGOT. The prestigious acronym distinguishes a handful of artists who have won the four top American awards in entertainment, an Emmy for TV, Grammy for music, Oscar for film and a Tony for theater. Having won the first three, Miranda lost his first bid for an Academy Award in 2017 for writing the theme song for another Disney film, Moana. 

Miranda’s competition this year includes renowned songwriters Beyoncé, Van Morrison and Billie Eilish.

“Dos Oruguitas” is also making history as the first song fully in Spanish nominated for an Oscar. While Coco’s Academy Award-winning “Remember Me” included lyrics in Spanish, the ballad was a bilingual composition with about half in English and half in Spanish.

Encanto‘s Germaine Franco is a first-time Oscar nominee competing in the Original Score category. She is not the only contender of Latino descent in her category. Franco faces Spanish Alberto Iglesias, the composer for Madres Paralelas.

Carlos López Estrada of Mexico, who stands out among the producers of Raya and the Last Dragon that also vies for the award for Best Animated Film. 

SEVERAL CONTENDERS IN SHORTS
Additionally, five Latino producers, including a woman, battle it out with short films. 

Chile’s Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz compete in Short Film Animated with the Spanish-language Bestia, a stop-motion movie about a secret police agent during the Chilean military dictatorship. Other nominees in the same category are Spain-born Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez with The Windshield Wiper centered on a man who ponders about love while smoking at a cafe.  

For her part, K.D. Dávila stands out among the candidates for an Oscar for Short Film Live action. The Mexican-American filmmaker competes with Please Hold, about a young man whose life is derailed and finds himself at the mercy of automated justice.

The Oscars will broadcast live March 27.

The post Latinos in Prominent Oscar Noms in 2022 With Some History-Making Firsts first appeared on .

Mexico’s Noche de Fuego, Panama’s Plaza Catedral and Spain’s El Buen Patrón are among the 15 movies shortlisted for the Academy Award to International Feature Film.

The Mexican entry centers on life in a town afflicted by the drug war as seen through the eyes of three pre-teen girls. Directed by internationally awarded filmmaker Tatiana Huezo, the coming-of-age drama won a special mention in the Un Certain Regard Award category at the Cannes Film Festival, where it held its global premiere. The film has also won awards at international fests in China, Greece, Mexico, Sweden and Spain. In the U.S. the dramatic feature earned top prizes at the Chicago and Palm Springs international film festivals as well as from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. Noche de Fuego is an adaptation of Mexican-American author Jennifer Clement’s acclaimed novel Prayers for the Stolen, whose title is used by the movie in English.

Panama’s Plaza Catedral tells the story of violence in Panama City where a grief-stricken mother from an affluent neighborhood takes in a poor 14-year-old. He works looking after people’s cars when the teen comes to her house bleeding. Tragically, the young lead actor Fernando Xavier De Casta himself became a victim of violence in the Panamanian capital when he was shot to death one month before the movie’s world release at Mexico’s Guadalajara International Film Festival held in October. At the festival, Fernando won the Mezcal Award for Best Actor.

The Panamanian drama is directed by Abner Benaim and won the Audience Award at the International Film Festival of Panama. 

Spain’s El Buen Patrón (The Good Boss) is a comedy about the owner of an industrial company who hopes to resolve problems with his employees in time for a visit by a committee that hands out excellence awards to businesses. The film stars Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo and Almudena Amor and is directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, a recipient of several Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Academy Award.  

The other films shortlisted in the International Feature Film category for the 94th Academy Awards are Austria’s  Great Freedom, Belgium’s Playground, Bhutan’s Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, Denmark’s Flee,  Finland’s Compartment No. 6, Germany’s I’m Your Man, Iceland’s Lamb, Iran’s A Hero, Italy’s The Hand of God, Japan’s Drive My Car, Kosovo’s Hive, and Norway’s The Worst Person in the World.

Nominations voting begins on Jan. 27 with final nominees announced Feb.  8.

The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be televised live on ABC to more than 200 territories worldwide.

Featured Photos: Posters of ‘Prayers for the Stolen,’ ‘Plaza Catedral’ and ‘The Good Boss’ (Photo: Courtesy Noted)

The post Mexico, Panama and Spain Make Oscar’s International Feature Film Shortlist  first appeared on .

The film is directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, who also wrote the script. The executive producers are Pilar de Heras, Laura Fernández Espeso, Eva Garrido, Javier Méndez and Patricia de Muns, with Marisa Fernández Armenteros and Carles Montiel as co-executive producers. Also, Jaume Roures serves as a producer.

In addition to Bardem, the cast features Manolo Solo, Almudena Amor, Óscar De La Fuente, Sonia Almarcha, Fernando Albizu, Tarik Rmili, Rafa Castejón, Celso Bugallo, Martín Páez, Yael Belicha and Mara Guil.

The Good Boss premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival Sept. 21 and in Spain Oct. 15. In the United States, the film played at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Cohen Media Group owns U.S. rights.

The film was nominated to 20 Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars.

Featured Photo: ‘El Buen Patrón‘ (Photo: Courtesy)

The post Oscar’s Shortlist: Spain’s ‘El Buen Patrón’ first appeared on .