Five of the 25 films that were inducted this year into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry have notable Latino lead performers and plots, setting a new record.
The Library of Congress said Tuesday that they include Spy Kids, Up in Smoke, Mi Familia, American Me, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-Texas, who has been trying to raise the number of Latino films selected for preservation, said it’s the most inductions of this type in a single year.
Castro added in a statement that the films depict Latinos as heroes and villains, hard-working immigrants and idiots, space travelers, and much more. They also portray complicated and occasionally challenging stories. When taken as a whole, these movies show off the ability that Latinos bring to the screen and offer a distinctive cross-section of Latino contributions to American cinema.
Castro had added all of the movies to his yearly list of nominations to the National Film Registry, with the exception of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Castro successfully pushed to add the late singer Selena Quintanilla’s 1997 film Selena to the list in 2021 while serving as the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. In an attempt to boost and enhance Latino representation in entertainment and culture, he has since nominated hundreds more films.
Over the past few years, despite persistent Latino underrepresentation in the media, Latinos have made up 6–7% of the major cast and starring roles on television and movies.
Castro praised the film’s induction and said he was happy that the 1982 Star Trek sequel was included by the National Film Preservation Board because it stars the late, groundbreaking Latino actor Ricardo Montalb.
‘Spy Kids’
The 2001 film “Spy Kids” was one of the numerous works by renowned director Robert Rodriguez that drew on his Mexican American childhood in Texas.
In a 2020 interview with NBC News, Rodriguez stated that he based Spy Kids on his own experiences as a child growing up in a household of ten. He recalled having childhood fantasies of them all being covert spies.
Young siblings Juni and Carmen Cortez are followed in this entertaining action-fantasy movie as they learn that their parents are hidden spies and end up becoming spies themselves.
Actors Daryl Sabara and Colombian American Alexa Pe aVega portray the brother and sister pair.
Antonio Banderas, a Spanish actor, was cast by Rodriguez to portray Gregorio Cortez, the covert agent who is the father of Juni and Carmen.The name is a nod to the character s Hispanic heritage since it s based on the 1982 film The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, which is centered on a folkloric figure from a popular early 1900s Mexican corrido, or ballad. Castro’s efforts helped the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez movie get included into the National Film Registry in 2022.
The characters in “Spy Kids” allowed Rodr guez to weave in elements of Hispanic culture and values to create an universally entertaining story that authentically showcased Latino heritage. But achieving that was not easy.
It was so difficult to get Spy Kids made with Latin leads because there weren t enough writers who were creating roles like that,Rodr guez recalled. To enjoy James Bond, you don’t have to be British. These characters become highly general by being highly specific. That was my contention, and Spy Kids was created as a result.
Spy Kids” marks the second time Rodr guez had one of his movies included in the National Film Registry. The first was his 1992 debut feature film El Mariachi.
Other recognizable Latino stars in Spy Kids are Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin, among others.
Spy Kids and Up in Smoke are Marin’s first films on the registry.
‘Up in Smoke’
Released in 1978, Up in Smoke was an unexpected smash hit that arguably established the stoner genre of film.
Marin and actor-comedian Tommy Chong reworked many of their comedy routines to please audiences with goofy, and at times, stupid humor creating a counterculture film classic watched to this day.
The level of improv that we brought to those movies is what gave it a spontaneity,Marin told the Library of Congress in an interview. And that s why people thought they were happening for the first time. Because in many instances, it was happening for the first time.
‘Mi Familia’
This is director Gregory Nava’s third movie inducted to the registry.
All three of them “Selena,” “El Norte” and “Mi Familia” are renowned explorations of the U.S. Latino experience.
Nava’s 1995 film “Mi Familia” takes viewers on an deeply emotional ride as they follow the story of a multigenerational Mexican-American family in the U.S., narrated by a second-generation immigrant.
Their story is told in images of startling beauty and great overflowing energy; it is rare to hear so much laughter from an audience that is also sometimes moved to tears,” film critic Roger Ebert wrote at the time, according to the Library of Congress. “This is the great American story, told again and again, of how our families came to this land and tried to make it better for their children.
The film features an all-star cast of Latino actors that includes Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, Jennifer Lopez, Constance Marie, Jacob Vargas, Benito Martinez and Edward James Olmos.
There are eight films in the registry that feature Olmos as an actor, including “Selena, “Mi Familia” and “American Me.”
‘American Me’
The 1992 film stars Olmos as a fictional Mexican mafia leader as he goes in and out of prison, portraying the dark and brutal realities of Chicano gang life in Los Angeles.
American Me was also Olmos directorial debut.
The film s depiction of violence and abuse can sometimes be hard to watch. But Olmos’ choice to loosely base the movie on a real-life story helps bring to reality truths about who controls the drug traffic in prison and on the streets.
I went for stories that weren t going to be told by anybody else. Originally, no one wanted to do American Me, but I knew it had to be told Olmos told the Library of Congress in an interview.
The movie was also produced by Jewish-Mexican film producer Lou Adler, who also produced Up in Smoke.
Adler has several other films previously added to the registry, such as Monterey Pop and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
‘Star Trek II’
One of the selections with strong public nominations this year was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, featuring Mexican American actor Ricardo Montalb n as Khan Noonien Singh, the main antagonist in the film.
The movie is widely considered the best of the six original-cast Star Trek theatrical films, with the epic battle between Khan and main character Kirk engrained in the memories of countless fans of the science fiction franchise.
In addition to his work as an actor, Montalb n fiercely advocated for more and improved Latino representation on TV and films, even foundingthe advocacy group Nosotrosin 1969 to promote more positive depictions of Latinos in the entertainment industry.
A collective effort to preserve movie heritage
There are now 30 Latino films on the National Film Registry, according to the Library of Congress, about 3.3% of the 900 movies preserved at the registry. Latinos currently represent close to 20% of the nation s population.
This is a collective effort in the film community to preserve our cinematic heritage, librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. Films reflect our nation s history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come.
While not included as one of the 30 Latino films on the National Film Registry, the Library of Congress also inducted the 2007 film “No Country for Old Men”starring Javier Bardem, who, like Antonio Banderas, hails from Spain.
The word Hispanic,which emerged in the 1960s, accounts for people who can trace their roots to Spain or Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America or the Caribbean.The word Latinoemerged three decades later to include other Latin American countries where Spanish is not the dominant language, such as Brazil.
No Country for Old Men is based on a novel by author Cormac McCarthy that follows a hunter who stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.
This film also received strong support from the public to have it inducted into the National Film Registry, the Library of Congress said.
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