Latinitas Reports from SXSW 2017
The success of 20th Century Fox’s box office hit “Hidden Figures” had many South By Southwest panelists and participants talking about the future of film starring people of color.
One important observation I heard this week was that the film exceeded everyone’s expectations thanks to the grassroots movement in support of women of color. The numbers don’t lie — according to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed a whopping $165 million domestically, while the Oscar-winning “La La Land” earned only $149 million domestically despite opening several weeks before “Hidden Figures.”
During the Hacking the Script: Disrupt Diversity in Hollywood panel on March 12, Golden Globe-winning actress Gina Rodriguez explained the importance of recognizing the power of the consumer.
Given her cultural background and her familiarity with the Latina/o community, Rodriguez spoke specifically about Latina/o consumers and the lack of representation of Latina/o culture on screen:
“We [Latina/os] make up 30 percent of the box office every weekend, and that is the majority, and yet there are no Latino-led films at all. There were no Latinos at the Oscars besides Lin Manuel [Miranda] for a song. And, the fact of the matter is that Latinos do not see themselves represented on screen — yet we still go and see movies.
“We don’t understand that we have that power, and I think that that’s what’s missing, the knowledge that we do control the content by deciding whether or not we go and watch these movies that lack representation.”
While many critics out there might say that it will be long before we see industry practices change significantly, Rodriguez remains hopeful as she calls moviegoers to action.
“If you show them that ‘No, I will not show up to this movie if you do not have a woman of color, a woman in front of or behind the camera, if you do not have diversity and inclusion,’ that movie will not succeed and they will not make that movie again because they want their money.”
Although we may feel that our voices are not heard individually, Rodriguez implies that if enough people boycott a film with lack of representation of minorities, the message will get across to executives at Hollywood studios. Alternatively, she cited the success of “Hidden Figures” as a prime example of a community effort to support films that matter — one that can be recreated when a film portrays ethnic and gender minorities in a tasteful and empowering way.
There is no doubt that there is power in numbers, and we must use our power for the advancement of the images we see on screen. Let’s make Hollywood listen.
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About the Writer
Ilse Garcia Romero is Latinitas’ Public Relations and Community Engagement Intern. She is a Media Studies graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, with a minor in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies. Learn more about Ilse here.
