The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continues to be under fire for having nominated 20 white actors and leaving out a number of Black and Latino actors.
Every year when the Academy Awards are announced there are multiple surprises that include snubs.
This year there were many snubs that deserved Oscar nominations. However, with such an unpredictable year anything was bound to happen.
Actor Sean Penn stirred a social media debate this weekend with a Green Card comment toward film director Alejandro González Iñárritu, a Mexican national. In the U.S., however, millions have tried to receive a Green Card but only thousands are available.
One of the big stories to circulate after the announcement of the Oscar nominations was the lack of diversity. Most prominently, "Selma," a film about Martin Luther King, was shut out in all but two categories. There was no diversity in the acting categories either.
And yet, Latin Americans had solid representation at the 87th Academy Awards. One best picture nominee was helmed and shot by Mexicans and also had a few Argentine nominees as well. Another Argentine film was nominated for the best foreign language film.
So how did Latin Americans do at the big ceremony?
The Oscars take place on February 22nd and there are a number of Mexicans in contention for major awards. Among them are director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. A win for either would continue Mexico's well-documented history at the big event. But how have Mexicans fared in the 87-year history of the Academy Awards?
Landing a role in "Cantinflas," a biopic about Mario Moreno, the most beloved comedic actor in Mexico was monumental for Mexican actress Gabriela De La Garza. In an exclusive interview with Latin Post, the Mexico City actress discusses how she challenged herself linguistically and physically for the role and her experience acting in the Oscar-buzzed film, which was released by Pantelion Films and will be available on DVD Dec. 2, 2014.
Mexico's most beloved comedic film star of all time, Cantinflas (played by Mario Moreno) was considered to be "the best comedian alive," according to the great Charlie Chaplin. Today, his influence continues to thrive not only with Pantelion Films' recent release of his biopic, "Cantinflas," but with modern-day Latino comedic actors, such as Cheech Marin who recalled meeting Moreno in a Latin Post exclusive interview.
"Cantinflas" has been charming audiences with its release in around 400 theaters across the U.S. and soon in Mexico, Central and South America and the Dominican Republic. Now with the backing of the Mexican Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences, the film may go on to nab an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language film category.
The Toronto International Film Festival is known as the festival that begins awards season. This year a number of features will play at the festival in hopes of attracting raves reviews and garnering awards buzz.
