Actor Benecio del Toro envisions a “Latino movement” in American cinema, akin to the Italian American film surge of the 1970s and the African American film movement from the 1980s to the 1990s.
In a conversation about his work on director Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed film, del Toro expressed a desire to see more Latin American filmmakers emerge, similar to notable figures like Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese, with an emphasis on sharing Latin American narratives.
“I haven’t really noticed a Latino movement yet,” he remarked. “We’ve seen an African American movement with filmmakers like Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, and Don Cheadle. There are many filmmakers out there, which is fantastic. Italian-American stories have been told, but the Latino experience is somewhat different.”
“I always hope for more opportunities and stories. I don’t think we’ve really covered the Hispanic narrative in the U.S. That includes the many different Latinos across places like Puerto Rico, Florida, Chicago, California, New York, Texas, and New Mexico. There are so many Latinos here,” he added.
Del Toro also hinted at wanting to step into a directing role himself.
“I enjoy being behind the camera and sharing those stories,” he admitted. “It’s definitely something I’m interested in pursuing more.” He believes that the emerging voices in cinema—perhaps young filmmakers right now—might be on the verge of breaking through.
While the last twenty years have brought forward a number of critical Latin filmmakers like Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro, a limited number of American directors come to mind. Eva Longoria has generated buzz for her film Flamin’ Hot, while Angel Manuel Soto currently works on the DC film Blue Beetle. Luis Valdez gained recognition in the 1980s with Zoot Suit and the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba, being viewed as a pioneer in Hispanic American cinema, which paved the way for films like Selena and Quinceañera. Robert Rodriguez followed in the 1990s with El Mariachi and Desperado.
