Dude, So Many Latinos Are Going To Be Part Of The Academy, Finally!

Jorge Rodriguez-Jimenez - 07/05/16 - #mitúWORLD
credit: JaymieBaxleyNC / Twenty20

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has spent the last two years fighting the assertion that it only cares about white people. Finally, this year, the Academy is taking steps to change the culture of the media company and awards ceremony by inducting the most diverse class in its history. Out of the 683 new Academy members, there are more than 50 Latinos and Latinas ready to make some change. ¡Orale! (or ¡Wepa!, whichever you prefer).

Earlier this year, the Oscars were once again called out for their lack of diversity.

Credit: @lupitanyongo / Instagram

Remember that #OscarsSoWhite hashtag that took over social media?

And the celebs took no time in tweeting, Instagramming and shouting their outrage. Gina Rodriguez weighed in:

Movement Monday's. This is Oscar Isaac. He is a Guatemalan American actor. This is a picture from Ex Machina directed by Alex Garland and was released this past year. With all this Oscar Talk and lack of diversity I decided to start a movement and speak from the perspective of a Latina American who desires to see more Latinos on screen. There are 55 million Latinos in this country and although we all come from various backgrounds our unity can make a movie explode at the box office or a tv show soar to the highest viewers possible. The better these projects do financially, the more money they will spend on putting Latinos In blockbuster films, as leads in tv shows Etc. My solution is this, support is needed. Right now there isn't one Latino that can Greenlight a movie. That means no studio will put their money behind a Latino face as a lead of a movie because they don't believe we can make their money back. I am told time and time again "Latinos dont watch Latino Movies. Latinos don't support each other" and sadly that is true. I'm not saying go and see a movie you don't like to blind support, im saying if you want to see us represented on film and tv, if you want to see Latinos nominated for Oscars, we NEED to support one another. The industry sees money, the excuse can't just be racism. We can make a difference in a very powerful way if we unite our support as one Latino community. Oscar Isaac, in my opinion had an Oscar worthy performance in this film. Let's start making noise with where it matters most, where we put our dollars. Go support these films, watch these shows (mine is on tonight by the way, shameless promotion feel free to watch on the CW) and we can take making a change into our own hands. Each Monday I will highlight a latino artist we can support. Let us use our numbers and powerful voices to prove we support one another, to prove we can make a box office hit, to prove they need to support all the various Latino cultures in the media. That can be one part of the solution, so next year we have many movies that are worthy of Oscar contention! #MovementMondays Pick any Latino currently working we can support!

A photo posted by Gina Rodriguez (@hereisgina) on

Credit: @hereisgina / Instagram

Rodriguez started #MovementMondays on social media to shine a light on Latinos who she felt weren’t being given their due. That was probably because most people in the Academy were white males, but who can really be sure?

So the Academy is doing something about it. It has invited 683 new members, which include lots of women and people of color. To be specific, 46 percent of the new members are female and 41 percent of the new members are people of color. ?

Credit: @TheAcademy / Twitter

Some of the invitees include America Ferrera.

Credit: @AmericaFerrera / Twitter

You might recognize her from a little Disney Original movie called “Gotta Kick It Up!” and her portrayal of Helen Chávez in the Cesar Chávez biopic.

Jorge R. Gutierrez, Animator/Director

Credit: @mexopolis / Twitter

“Book of Life.” ‘Nuff said.

Jacob Vargas, Actor

Credit: @TheJacobVargas / Twitter

Not only was he too in the Cesar Chávez biopic, but Vargas really honed it in for his role in “The 33.”

Luis Guzmán, Actor

Credit: @IamLuisGuzman / Twitter

Pretty sure this dude doesn’t need much of an introduction.

Daphne Zuniga, Actor

Credit: @DaphneZuniga / Twitter

She has been the driving force for shows like “Spaceballs” and “One Tree Hill.”

Michelle Rodriguez, Actor

Credit: @mrodofficial / Instagram

Good to know there is someone willing to vote just based on talent.

And here is a list of the rest:

Gabriel Gutiérrez, Sound

Fernando Velásquez, Composer

Raúl Antonio Dávalos, Editor

Walter Rippell, Casting Director

Carlos Reygadas, Writer

Enrique Castillo, Actor

Ignacio López Tarso, Actor

Silvia Pinal, Actor

Sal Lopez, Actor

Pepe Serna, Actor

Sara Bilbatua, Casting Director

Lucrecia Martel, Director

Carmen Cuba, Casting Director

Rodrigo Teixeira, Producer

Julie Carmen, Actor

Manuel Teil, Casting Director

Laura Amelia Guzmán, Director

Bárbara Alvarez, Cinematographer

Lula Carvalho, Cinematographer

Enrique Chediak, Cinematographer

Félix Monti, Cinematographer

Pilar Revuelta, Designer

Israel Cárdenas, Director

Juan Antonio Garcia Bayona, Director

Maria Novaro, Director

Affonso Gonçalves, Editor

Pedro Kos, Documentarian/Editor

Sebastián Lelio, Writer

Bernat Vilaplana, Editor

Patricia Riggen, Director

Beatrice De Alba, Make Up Artist

Sonia Grande, Costume Designer

Anna Muylaert, Director

Antonio Pinto, Composer

Belén Atienza, Producer

Fernando Bovaira, Producer

Esther García Rodríguez, Producer

Marisa Paredes, Actor

Renato Dos Anjos, Animator

Pato Escala, Animator

Luis Valdez, Director

Gabriel Osorio, Animator

Pablo Valle, Animator

Roberto Fernandez, Sound

Vera Blasi, Writer

Oscar Isaac, Actor

Eva Mendes, Actor

Jorge Perugorría, Actor

Cecilia Roth , Actor

Tessa Thompson, Actor

Israel Cárdenas, Director

Laura Amelia Guzmán, Director

Lucía Puenzo, Director


READ: Now’s a Good Time to Revisit the Time Chris Rock Said Mexicans Don’t Get Enough Love from Hollywood

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