Twenty-six years ago, I distinctly remember going to our local movie theater with my elementary school-aged cousins to watch one of our first movies on the big screen, Selena. We were excited to see the story of someone we grew up listening to displayed on the big screen while indulging in buckets of popcorn and Butterfingers. Many of us left the movie theater that night touched by the story and with an appreciation of having people that looked like our families represented in the film.
Sadly, there hasn’t been much progress with Latino representation in films or television shows. According to Latino Donor Collaborative’s 2022 Latinos in the Media Report, U.S. Latinos purchased 29 percent ($2.9 billion) of all box office tickets in 2019. Yet in 2022, Latinos were only 3.1% of lead actors in shows, 1.5% of showrunners, and 1.3% of directors. Unfortunately, the percentage of Latino representation in films doesn’t leave us with better numbers. The growing presence of Latinos in the United States should be reflected in all forms of media, especially television and film.
Latinos deserve to be seen. Our stories need to be told. Latinos drive box office sales, stimulate our economy, produce and direct incredible work. All too often Latinos are portrayed negatively or as a stereotype – you know exactly what I’m talking about. The Latino Donor Collaborative’s 2022 Latinos in the Media Report also mentions that 41% of U.S. Latinos feel that not enough content represents them and that on-screen representation is accurate. Additionally, of those 38 shows, 18 shows portrayed Latinos negatively or perpetuated false stereotypes about the U.S. Latino community.” When Latinos are accurately depicted in the media, the world can see that Latinos are a diverse people who are involved in all sectors including business, education, tech, the arts — everywhere.
We also need Latinos in front and behind the cameras, not just standing behind box office ticket windows. According to Latino Donor Collaborative’s 2022 Latinos in the Media Report, only 2.9% of all 2022 films were directed by a Latin while only 1.5% of all episodes aired during that same year were directed by a Latino. As someone who has worked on production sets, I can tell you that Latino representation on sets felt nonexistent. During my time working as a Production Assistant, I was often the only Latina on set. This needs to change.
What can be done to increase Latino representation in television and film? Take some time to stream and watch Latino-led movies on small and big screens. Supporting Latino media can be entertaining and can help change the narrative around our communities so it accurately mirrors the lives of Latinos across the country. This month I’ll be streaming With Love on Amazon Prime, Primo on FreeVee, and Flamin’ Hot, the story about Richard Montañez who created Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Together we can support Latino representation in the media by supporting work that we know was created by Latinos and for Latinos. Will you join me?
By: Andrea Santana, Communications Associate
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