Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 9 March 2018
Oscars shine a spotlight on Latinos, who hope to hold it

By JAKE COYLE made $745 million world-
NEW YORK (AP) — The 90th wide and set new box-of-
annual Academy Awards fice records in Mexico.
were, by any definition, a "We started making 'Coco'
moment of triumph for La- six years ago and it was a
tinos. very different political cli-
Guillermo del Toro became mate, of course, than we
the third Mexican-born film- find ourselves in now," di-
maker to win best director, rector Lee Unkrich told re-
and it was his lavish Cold porters backstage Sunday.
War fantasy "The Shape of "While we were making
Water" that was crowned the film, we had a change
best picture. Pixar's box-of- of presidency and a lot of
fice smash "Coco," the big- things started to be said
gest budget studio release about Mexico and about
to feature a largely Hispan- Mexican-Americans that
ic cast, won best animated was unacceptable.
feature and best song. Lin- "We began to feel a new
Manuel Miranda reminded urgency to get the movie
viewers of Puerto Rico, out into the world," he said.
rebuilding from Hurricane "We knew how important
Maria. Lupita Nyong'o ad- it was." President Donald
vocated for the Dreamers. Trump, whose immigra-
Rita Moreno returned, re- tion policies and pledge to
splendently, in the dress she build a wall between the
wore to the Oscars in 1962. U.S. and Mexico has been
And Chile's "A Fantastic Guillermo del Toro, left, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu attend the Governors Ball after the Oscars deeply unpopular among
Woman" won best foreign on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Latinos, followed up the
language film. Associated Press Oscar broadcast by tweet-
But the Oscars were also, ing Monday that Mexico
by any measure, an aber- "It was kind of ironic," said it's not. You can appreciate in a 2014 column for The had to do "much more on
ration. As much as Hispan- Alex Nogales, president of that they're there. But then Hollywood Reporter wrote: stopping drugs from pour-
ics had the spotlight at the National Hispanic Me- you can ask yourself: Is this "Forget whether Hollywood ing into the U.S."
Sunday's ceremony, they dia Coalition. "By having really the way Hollywood is black enough. A better Del Toro, though, spoke on
are seldom granted cen- so many presenters, you're is? And the answer is no." question is: Is Hollywood the Dolby Theatre stage
ter stage by Hollywood the presenting that this is a very Despite accounting for 18 Mexican enough?" about the power of art to
rest of the year. diversified business when percent of the U.S. popula- But while #OscarSoWhite "erase the lines in the sand."
tion, and 23 percent of fre- brought renewed focus The 53-year-old filmmaker,
quent moviegoers, accord- on the industry's poor track born in Guadalajara, be-
ing to the Motion Picture record in diversity, Latinos gan his first speech by say-
Association's 2017 statistics, have often been left out of ing, "I am an immigrant."
Hispanics are chronically the discussion. His win joins him with his
underrepresented in the The National Hispanic Me- countrymen, Alejandro
movies. A study by the Uni- dia Coalition held two Inarritu ("Birdman," ''The
versity of Southern Califor- protests ahead the Os- Revenant") and Alfonso
nia's Annenberg School for cars, one outside the an- Cuaron ("Gravity") — who
Communications and Jour- nual academy luncheon are together known as the
nalism found that only 3 and another in Hollywood "Three Amigos" — as the
percent of speaking char- on Saturday. But Nogales three Mexican-born film-
acters in the top 100 mov- believes stronger action is makers to win best direc-
ies of 2016 were Latinos. necessary. He says that he's tor, and all in the last five
There were no Latinos asked each of the six ma- years. Long friends who
among the acting nomi- jor studios to meet with the share their scripts with one
nees this year, nor are there watchdog group within the another and rely on each
most years. Demian Bichir next ten days or the coali- other for advice, they have
("A Better Life") was the last tion will begin boycotting together dominated the
Latin American nominated, one studio at a time. Oscars for half a decade
six years ago. Only a hand- "It's a take-it or leave-it like few before them.
ful of Latino actors have proposition," said Nogales, "Every time we can dem-
ever won an Oscar, includ- who advocates for more onstrate in any forum, be
ing Moreno, Jose Ferrer, American-born Latinos in it sports, science, art, cul-
Anthony Quinn and Benicio media. "We're 50 million ture, anywhere, what we
del Toro. strong so we can hurt peo- have to bring to the world
America Ferrera, in a ple's bottom line." discourse, to the world
Deadline column in 2016, That box-office power has conversation, is extremely
wrote: "All audiences want been especially obvious important," del Toro said
to see the world they live with "Coco," a film that backstage. "And it's ex-
in reflected on screens big Pixar shifted during devel- tremely important when we
and small. At a certain opment to tell a more in- do it to remember where
point, it becomes unavoid- digenously Mexican story. we're from, because it's
able to notice that we're Adrian Molina was also honoring your roots, honor-
being ignored." Chris Rock, added as co-director. It's ing your country."q