The #OscarsSoWhite campaign has been effective in not only creating awareness, but also in bringing about real change when it comes to diversity at the Oscars. In 2018, the academy invited nearly 800 new voters, many of them women and people of color. Awards ceremonies are important recognition – they help create key promotional opportunities in the film industry and expand audiences.
Another part of the Hollywood ecosystem that can make or break a movie is the reviews written by film critics. However, in 2017, a study from the University of Southern California found that nearly 80% of all reviews were written by men, and more than 80% of reviews were written by white reviewers. We wanted to hear from Latinx movie critics about their experience and what they see as their role, as Hollywood aims to embrace more diversity.
Latino USA caught up with Claudia Puig, president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association; Vanessa Erazo, film editor at Remezcla, the prominent American online Latinx magazine; Monica Castillo, who has written for The New York Times and The Washington Post; and Manuel Betancourt, who has written for The Atlantic and Remezcla, for a panel discussion on the state of Latinx film criticism.
Photo courtesy of Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
