Activists Protests Lack of Latino Representation at Oscar Luncheon

Alex Nogales, President of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, disrupted a luncheon for Academy Awards nominees on Monday at the Beverly Hilton. Protesting the lack of Hispanic characters on movie screens, he said his anger was aimed not at the Academy, but at the movie executives who were attending the Oscar luncheon. Latinos make up 18% of the U.S. population, but only 3% of speaking characters in films during the last decade were Latino. For the sixth year in a row, no Hispanic actors or actresses were nominated for Oscars. Only one Hispanic man has won the Best Actor Oscar -- José Ferrer for Cyrano de Bergerac in 1951 -- and no Hispanic woman has ever been named Best Actress. “When people think of diversity, they think of black and white,” said Moctesuma Esparza, a Producer of films such as Selena and the CEO of Maya Cinemas, a multiplex chain. “Nobody thinks of other minorities unless it is pointed out. Latinos, like all human beings, want to see themselves represented on screen.” Joining Nogales and Esparza at the protests were Santiago Pozo, CEO of Arenas Entertainment, which focuses on marketing studio movies to Hispanic audiences, and Gloria Molina, a former Los Angeles County Supervisor. More here.