Congressman Joaquin Castro and most of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus want the National Film Registry to include more Latino films. Because of this, the members are calling on film fans for help.
Castro stated that he will be taking suggestions from the people in underrepresented communities starting on Tuesday. According to Castro, Latinos have made significant contributions to the industry since the beginning of films, meaning that their works deserve to be preserved and shared for prosperity and historicity’s sake.
He states, “As the Library of Congress works to preserve the films that shaped American culture, public nominations will put a spotlight on the Latino-driven films that have sold out theaters and defined generations.” With the committee’s current push for inclusion, Castro “look[s] forward to hearing from folks across America about the Latino films that have made an enduring impact on their lives.”
Every year, 25 new films are added to the National Film Registry by the Librarian of Congress. In 2023 the registry has only 24 Latino movies out of 850 films. Latinos make up 20 percent of the county yet only in three percent of the registry’s films as noted by Castro.
Although he believes Hollywood has improved over the years, it is still apparent to Castro that “the Latino narrative is largely missing from the American narrative.” Latinos contribute more to society than they are recognized for. He says that Latino presence has been better. They are in more positive leads that are inspirational and significant. However, we still do not see much of the Latino culture represented.
Castro explains that presence should be a baseline. Movies like Flamin’ Hot, Blue Beetle, and The Flash all have a positive Latina character and/or presence but not an actual story centered on the culture.
The deadline to make suggestions is Thursday, August 3rd, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Inductees from the final list will be announced towards the end of this year.
Suggestions can be sent to an online form here.
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