Latinos and Spaniards dream of winning an Oscar

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Latinos and Spaniards dream of winning an Oscar

Hollywood (United States) (AFP) – As audiences demand more diversity and representation on the big screen, Latin Americans and Hispanics are vying for some of the most relevant Academy Awards that will be awarded on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Charm, Miranda and Sebastian Yatra

Disney competes with “Encanto” for best animated film, a love letter to Colombia with a diverse cast that allows Latin audiences to see themselves represented on screen.

The film also earned nominations for Best Original Song and Best Original Score.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, 42, of Puerto Rico, has embraced Latin rhythms to compose the soundtrack – along with American Jermaine Franco – that stars Sebastian Yatra and Carlos Vives.

The featured song, “Dos oruguitas,” will be performed by the Yatra at the Oscars, and if she wins, it will take Miranda to the exclusive club of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).

Penelope and Javier

Penelope Cruz (47) and Javier Bardem (53), married for more than a decade and parents of two, are the only Spanish actors to have won Academy Awards, both as back-to-back supporting actors in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” by Woody Allen, and “No Country for Seniors.” Old Men” by the Coen Brothers.

Spaniards Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz at an event at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia on February 12, 2022 LLUIS GENE AFP / files

Cruz, Pedro Almodovar’s muse, was already nominated in 2006 for Best Actress for “Volver,” and this year she’s reprising for her role in “Parallel Mothers.”

Bardem, who was already nominated for Best Actor in 2001 for Before Night Falls, is competing this time for his portrayal of the Cuban husband of comedian Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos.

Mexico City

“The Alley of Lost Souls” by Mexican Guillermo del Toro, a tale of human nature set in the United States circus in the 1940s, is vying for best film and, although not a favourite, has been a solid hit with audiences and positive reviews from critics.

Mexican Guillermo del Toro at the Oscar nominations party at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on March 7, 2022
Mexican Guillermo del Toro at the Oscar nominations party at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on March 7, 2022 Valerie McConne AFP/Files

She is also competing for three other statuettes: Best Photography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

After several awards and several Academy Award nominations, the 57-year-old Mexican director won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for “The Shape of Water” in 2018.

DeBose, Rita’s soul

Ariana DeBose, a 31-year-old Puerto Rican father, swept the awards season for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s version of “Love Without Barriers,” the most grossing musical of all time.

Actress Ariana Debos accepts the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress at the Royal Albert Hall in London on March 13, 2022
Actress Ariana Debos accepts the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress at the Royal Albert Hall in London on March 13, 2022 Ben Stansall, AFP/Files

The role of Anita, a feisty Puerto Rican immigrant in New York, earned legendary Rita Moreno an Academy Award in 1962 for Best Supporting Actress in the original film for the musical.

Moreno, who had to make her skin darker for the original version, praised Afro Latina for this new episode, both highlighting the importance of the role for representing Latina women on the big screen.

Certified from Rio de Janeiro

Pedro Cos, born in Rio de Janeiro, is nominated with John Schenk for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film for “Show Me the Way Home,” which follows many homeless people on the West Coast of the United States.

Filmmakers Pedro Kos (left) and John Schenk at a pre-Oscar event in Beverly Hills, California on March 23, 2022
Filmmakers Pedro Kos (left) and John Schenk at a pre-Oscar event in Beverly Hills, California on March 23, 2022 Chris Delmas, AFP/Files

If the documentary takes the statuette, it will also be a recognition of Brazil, a country that in the past unsuccessfully competed for the best foreign film with “City of God” and “Central Station”, as well as for the best documentary with “Democratic Filo”.

Brazilian Walter Salles’ “Motorcycle Diaries” won an Oscar for his original song “Otro Lado Del Rio” by Uruguayan director Jorge Drexler.

Chilean “monster”

Inspired by the life of Ongrid Oldrock, the ruthless executioner of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, Chilean “Beast” battles it out for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Chilean Hugo Covarrubias (first) and Tevo Diaz, directors "Monster"at an Oscar-related event in Beverly Hills, California on March 22, 2022
Chilean Hugo Covarrubias (left) and Tevo Diaz, directors of “Bestia”, at an event related to the Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on March 22, 2022 Chris Delmas, AFP/Files

Directed by Hugo Covarrubias (44) and Tivo Diaz (50), the 15-minute film took three years to complete, without dialogue and stop motion.

If he wins, it will be his second Oscar in the Chilean category, after Gabriel Osorio won in 2016 for “Historia de Un Oso”.

Chile has received some Hollywood Academy Awards.

In this version, “Spencer” director Pablo Larren could celebrate an Oscar for the film’s heroine, Kristen Stewart, for her role as Princess Diana of England.

In 2013 Claudio Miranda won the Best Cinematography Award for “Extraordinary Adventure”. In 2018, Sebastian Lelio’s “A Fantastic Woman” starring trans actress Daniela Vega won Best Non-English Language Film.

Spain and the Windshield Wiper

Mop, directed by Spaniards Alberto Milgo and Leo Sanchez, is competing for the statuette for best animated short film.

The 15-minute segment begins in a cafeteria, where a man smoking cigarette after cigarette asks a question in English: “What is love?” , giving rise to a series of vignettes to contemplate an answer.

Mielgo has come a long way in the animation genre and co-created “El Cid: The Legend” and “Spider-Man: A New Universe”.

More animations

In addition, the Mexican, Carlos Lopez Estrada, is among the four directors of Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”, another nominee for Best Animated Feature. At the age of thirty-three, he collected several productions, in addition to his work in television and theater.

Also worth noting is director Phil Lord, a 46-year-old Cuban-American whose career includes titles such as “The Great Lego Adventure” and “Spider-Man: A New Universe”, for which he won an Academy Award. Now he has reached a new stage after he produced The Mitchell Family vs. The Machines, nominated for Best Animated Film.

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