An animated movie is in development to tell the story of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. As an homage to the artist, the film is a female-led project with a recently announced Mexican director leading the charge. Here’s what we know so far.
U.K.-based production company, Lupus Films, is currently developing an animated film all about Frida Kahlo.
Credit: @NALIP_org / Twitter
According to Variety, Lupus Films has tapped award-winning animated director Paloma Baeza to direct the film. Baeza is known for her animated and stop-motion work with projects like “Poles Apart.”
“Frida Kahlo approached life with such vibrant energy, and was ahead of her time in many ways,” Baeza told Variety. “With my Mexican heritage, it is particularly meaningful to have this opportunity to explore her deep and complex personality, as well as her relationship with Mexico’s past and its future.”
Baeza won the BAFTA for best animated short for “Poles Apart” in 2018.
Baeza’s win at the 2018 BAFTAs is just more proof that Latinas are quickly becoming the driving force in every industry. Now, with the chance to tell Frida Kahlo’s story, Baeza is bringing the cultural and artistic nuances and representation further in the animated world.
While the animated movie doesn’t have a title, people are more excited after hearing that Baeza is leading the team.
Credit: @LupusFilms / Twitter
“As an all-female team of director and producers we are excited to be telling Frida’s story through animation, allowing us to capture the vivid palette of her work, her inspirations, and the colors and textures of Mexico,” Lupus Films managing director Camilla Deakin told Variety. “We are delighted that such a talented director as Paloma Baeza shares our passion for this project.”
People are very excited for this new Frida Kahlo project and we’re all waiting for more information.
Credit: @grantolding / Twitter
Good job, Lupus Films. Congratulations, Paloma Baeza! We are all excited to see this project developed into a full-length film.
Although Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in most Latin American countries, we all know by now that Latino culture is not a monolith. In fact, Latinidad comes in all shapes and forms, and it’s a total misconception that all Latinos are Catholics. Latinos follow a variety of religions, from Islam to Buddhism to Judaism. And while most people don’t think of Judaism when they think of Latin America, there is, in fact, a small but proud population of Jewish peoples living throughout Latinidad.
Although the Jewish population in Latin America is relatively small (only an estimated 300,000), Jewish Latinos keep their culture alive through tradition and a strong sense of community. The largest Jewish community resides in Argentina, which is considered to be the “center of the Jewish population in Latin America”. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of famous and influential Jewish Latinos who have made their unique mark on the world. Take a look below!
1. Frida Kahlo
via Getty Images
Frida Kahlo was both proud and vocal of her Jewish ancestry at a time when Anti-Semitism was at its height in Mexico. According to Kahlo, her father, Guillermo Kahlo, was a Hungarian-Jew who immigrated to Mexico. In fact, many of Frida’s work have been displayed at Jewish art exhibits.
2. Monica Lewinsky
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Monica Lewinsky’s father is El Salvadoran–born to Jewish-German immigrants who fled Germany during WWII to escape persecution from the Nazi regime.
3. Daniel Bucatinsky
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Beloved “Scandal” actor Daniel Bucatinsky was born in New York City to Argentine-Jewish parents. Bucatinsky has been candid about how his “roots” are in Argentina and how he speaks Spanish fluently. You can even catch him speaking Spanish to his fans on Twitter.
4. Sammy Davis Jr.
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One of the most talented and charismatic performers of the infamous “Rat Pack”, Sammy Davis Jr. was a Latino born to an Afro-Cuban mother. Citing a strong connection to the Jewish faith due to its people’s history of oppression, Davis Jr. converted to Judaism in 1961 and remained devout until his death.
5. William Levy
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Cuban actor and all-around heartthrob William Levy was born in Cojimar to a single mother, Barbara Levy of Jewish descent. At the reported urging of his friends, he converted to Catholicism in 2009
6. Diego Rivera
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Celebrated artist and husband to the venerable Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter Diego Rivera was descended from a Portuguese-Jewish family. Of his roots, Rivera said: “My Jewishness is the dominant element in my life. From this has come my sympathy with the downtrodden masses which motivates all my work”.
7. David Blaine
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Born to a Puerto Rican father and a mother of Russian-Jewish descent, famed magician and illusionist David Blaine is of both Jewish and Latino heritage.
8. Geraldo Rivera
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Journalist and television personality Geraldo Rivera was born to a Puerto Rican father and a mother of Russian-Jewish descent. He was raised “mostly Jewish” and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. Rivera affectionately describes himself as “Jew-Rican”.
9. Bruno Mars
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Bruno Mars was born in Hawaii to a father of mixed Puerto Rican and Ashkenazi Jewish descent, while his mother is Filipino. Mars has referred to his ethnicity as existing in a “gray zone” of neither black nor white. Of his ethnicity, Mars has said: “I hope people of color can look at me, and they know that everything they’re going through, I went through. I promise you.”
10. Sara Paxton
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Sara Paxton was born to Lucia Menchaca Zuckerman and Steve Paxton in Los Angeles. Paxton’s mother was originally from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, where she was raised in a Jewish family. Paxton’s father has since converted to Judaism.
11. Cecilia Roth
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Acclaimed Argentine actress and “muse” of Pedro Almodóvar, Cecilia Roth was born to parents Abrasha Rotenberg and Dina Gutkin in Buenos Aires. Like many European Jews in the 1930s, Roth’s father fled Europe to escape the rising tide of anti-Antisemitism.
12. Eduardo Saverin
via Getty Images
Facebook co-founder, tech entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Eduardo Luiz Saverin was born in São Paulo, Brazil to a wealthy Jewish family. In 1993, the Saverin family immigrated to Miami. Interestingly enough, he was portrayed by the British actor Andrew Garfield in the acclaimed movie “The Social Network”.
13. Jamie-Lynn Sigler
via Getty Images
Known for her role as the spoiled daughter Meadow on “The Sopranos”, Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born to a Cuban mother and a Jewish father. Sigler’s mother converted to Judaism upon marrying Sigler’s father. Sigler has revealed that being raised Jewish, she both attended Hebrew school and had a bat mitzvah.
14. Joaquin Phoenix
via Getty Images
Joaquin Phoenix was born in Puerto Rico to a Jewish mother and a (lapsed) Catholic father. At the time, his parents were acting as missionaries for the cult “Children of God”. Phoenix’s father currently lives in Costa Rica. Of his Latino roots, Phoenix says, “I do like Spanish culture…I like to practice my Spanish when I am working with any actor who speaks Spanish or with members of the crew”.
15. Don Francisco
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Cultural stalwart and host of Univision’s “Sábado Gigante”, Don Francisco was born in Chile to German-Jewish immigrants who fled their home country to escape the Nazi regime.
16. Gabe Saporta
via Getty Images
Cobra Starship lead singer Gabe Saporta was born in Uruguay to a Jewish family. Like many of the entries on this list, Saporta’s grandparents fled Europe during the WWII era to escape anti-antisemitism. His Instagram bio currently reads “I was a terror since the hebrew school era” and he frequently interacts with fans on the account in Spanish.
17. Joanna Hausmann
via johaus/Instagram
Joanna Hausmann is Venezuelan-American comedian, Youtuber, and TV personality. Hausmann is the daughter of Venezuelan intellectual and Harvard professor Ricardo Hausmann and CNN en Español host, Ana Julia Jatar. Hausmann has a series of videos called “Joanna Rants” on Flama where she covers a variety of issues affecting Latindad–from differences in accents to cultural stereotyping.
18. Kayla Maisonet
via kaymais/Instagram
Known for playing the sporty sister in Disney Channel’s “Stuck in the Middle”, Kayla Masionet is a biracial actress of Puerto Rican and Russian-Jewish descent. On dealing with criticism in the industry, Maisonet has revealed that she chooses to embrace what makes her different as opposed to “conform[ing] to what people say I should do”.
Spring is officially here and sweeping in with a new bundle of shows and films to binge and watch on Netflix. From the much-anticipated adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series to a new David Attenborough docuseries, there are tons of shows to look forward to watching this April.
That’s right, spring into action gang, this April has a world of great streams!
April 1
2012
Cop Out
Friends with Benefits
Insidious
Legally Blonde
Leprechaun
Magical Andes: Season 2
The Pianist
The Possession
Prank Encounters: Season 2
Secrets of Great British Castles: Season 1
Tersanjung the Movie
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family
White Boy
Worn Stories
Yes Man
April 2
Concrete Cowboy
Just Say Yes
Madame Claude
The Serpent
Sky High
April 3
Escape from Planet Earth
April 4
What Lies Below
April 5
Coded Bias
Family Reunion: Part 3
April 6
The Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to You
April 7
The Big Day: Collection 2
Dolly Parton: A MusiCares Tribute
Snabba Cash
This Is A Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist
The Wedding Coach
April 8
The Way of the Househusband
April 9
Have You Ever Seen Fireflies?
Night in Paradise
Thunder Force
April 10
The Stand-In
April 11
Diana: The Interview that Shook the World
April 12
New Gods: Nezha Reborn
Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn: Seasons 1-4
April 13
The Baker and the Beauty: Season 1
Mighty Express: Season 3
My Love: Six Stories of True Love
April 14
Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
The Circle: Season 2
Law School
The Soul
Why Did You Kill Me?
April 15
Dark City Beneath the Beat
The Master
Ride or Die
April 16
Arlo the Alligator Boy
Ajeeb Daastaans
Barbie & Chelsea The Lost Birthday
Crimson Peak
Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 4: Mexico
Into the Beat
Rush
Synchronic
Why Are You Like This
The Zookeeper’s Wife
April 18
Luis Miguel – The Series: Season 2
April 19
Miss Sloane
PJ Masks: Season 3
April 20
Izzy’s Koala World: Season 2
April 21
Zero
April 22
Life in Color with David Attenborough
Stowaway
April 23
Heroes: Silence and Rock & Roll
Shadow and Bone
Tell Me When
April 27
August: Osage County
Battle of Los Angeles
Fatma
Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 4
April 28
Sexify
Headspace Guide to Sleep
April 29
Things Heard & Seen
Yasuke
April 30
The Innocent
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Pet Stars
The Unremarkable Juanquini: Season 2
Leaving Netflix in April
April 2
Honey: Rise Up and Dance
April 4
Backfire
April 11
Time Trap
April 12
Married at First Sight: Season 9
Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning: Season 1
April 13
Antidote
April 14
Eddie Murphy: Delirious
The New Romantic
Once Upon a Time in London
Thor: Tales of Asgard
April 15
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant
April 19
Carol
The Vatican Tapes
April 20
The Last Resort
April 21
The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass: Seasons 1-3
