Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas has called for public suggestions of Latino films to nominate for the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
Submissions of Latino-driven films can be made by visiting his website. To be eligible, films must be at least 10 years old. Public members are encouraged to submit their nominations to Congressman Castro and the Library of Congress directly.
“For more than a century, Latino filmmakers have poured their talent and creativity into bringing our stories to the silver screen,” said Castro, who is putting out the public call for the third year. “As my office launches our third annual public call for nominations, I’m excited to hear from folks across the country about the Latino-driven movies that have had an enduring impact on their lives. I’m looking forward to putting together an incredible list of the Latino films that have shaped American life for the Library of Congress to consider as they select this year’s additions to the National Film Registry.”
In 2021, as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressman Castro successfully advocated for including Gregory Nava’s biopic “Selena” (1997), starring Jennifer Lopez. In subsequent years, two other Latino-centric films were added following recommendations from the Congressman’s initiative, both by Robert M. Young: “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” (1982), with Edward James Olmos, and “Alambrista!” (1977), with Domingo Ambriz.
Other films that Castro and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have nominated in the past two years include “My Family” (1995), “Spy Kids” (2001), and three films that earned lead acting nominations for their Latino leads: “Frida” (2002) with Salma Hayek, “Maria Full of Grace” (2004) with Catalina Sandino Moreno, and “A Better Life” (2011) with Demián Bichir.
In 1988, Congress directed the Library of Congress to establish a National Film Registry to preserve films with cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance to life in the United States. Every year, the National Film Registry selects 25 films for preservation to represent the range and diversity of American film heritage. Despite this mandate, less than five percent of the 875 National Film Registry titles are Latino-driven stories.
