Latinos Applaud Their Inclusion Among New Academy Members

This National Latino Media Council, which met with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in April to ask for a greater Latino representation within the organization, has applauded the fact that the Academy list of 276 new members, released earlier today, includes 22 Latinos.

In the acting category alone, seven Latinos were among 22 invitees. They are Miriam Colon, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Lopez, Alma Martinez, Michael Peña, Geno Silva and Danny Trejo.

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"We applaud the actions by the Academy, and look forward to continue to work with them in the future,” Congressman Esteban Torres (Ret.), NLMC chairman, said.

The April meeting between representatives of the Academy and members of NLMC, led by Torres, was held to discuss concerns about diversity following an outcry within the Latino community when the Academy failed to include actress Lupe Ontiveros, whose film credits include The Goonies and As Good As It Gets, in the “In Memoriam” tribute at February’s Oscar show.

Martinez, who has appeared in Born in East L.A. and Under Fire and who was among those receiving an invitation today, said, “I can't remember a time in our recent history where there has been so much Latino political activism occurring simultaneously across so many fields and across the country. I received a letter inviting me to become a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. To say I am elated is an understatement."

A list of the 22 Latinos included on the Academy follows.

Actors

Miriam Colon - "City of Hope," "Scarface"

Rosario Dawson - "Rent," "Frank Miller's Sin City"

Jennifer Lopez - "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "Selena"

Alma Martinez - "Born in East L.A.," "Under Fire"

Michael Peña - "End of Watch," "Crash"

Geno Silva - "Mulholland Drive," "Amistad"

Danny Trejo - "Machete," "Heat"

Cinematographers

Checco Varese - "Girl in Progress," "The Aura"

Costume Designers

Paco Delgado - "Les Misérables," "Biutiful"

Directors

Pablo Larraín - "No," "Tony Manero"

Documentary

Rebecca Cammisa - "God Is the Bigger Elvis," "Which Way Home"

Eduardo Coutinho - "As Canções," "Cabra Marcado Para Morrer (Twenty Years Later)"

Patricio Guzmán - "Nostalgia for the Light," "The Battle of Chile"

José Padilha - "Secrets of the Tribe," "Bus 174 (Ônibus 174)"

Renee Tajima-Pena - "Who Killed Vincent Chin?," "My America (Or Honk If You Love Buddha)"

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists

Luisa Abel - "The Dark Knight Rises," "Inception"

Kim Santantonio - "Gangster Squad," "Frost/Nixon"

Members-at-Large

Victoria Alonso

Mindy Marin

Music

Cliff Martinez - "Drive," "Traffic"

Sound

Jose Antonio Garcia - "Argo," "Babel"

Edward J. Hernandez - "Real Steel," "Basic Instinct"