The American film industry is just starting to open up to Latin American and Latinx voices, but there’s a long (very long) way to go in terms of representation. As undenying proof of how little the industry cares about our voices, we have the 2022 Oscar nominations.
Despite the existence of a rich field of Latin American and Latinx narratives this past year, we find ourselves yet again underrepresented in the “big” American award ceremony. This year, the only Latin American stories, performances, and crafts vying for an Academy Award are Ariana DeBose for West Side Story (a film that fails to depict Latinx culture in the progressive light it thinks it does), Guillermo del Toro for Nightmare Alley, Carlos López Estrada por Raya and the Last Dragon, Lin-Manuel Miranda for Encanto’s “Dos Oruguitas”, Germaine Franco for Encanto’s Original Score, Hugo Covarrubias for Bestia, and KD Dávila for Please Hold. Most of them are American productions.
To make matters worse, the Academy decided to nominate a Spanish actor playing the role of legendary Cuban-American performer Desi Arnaz; they nominated a performance that uses brown face in 2021. Absolutely embarrassing. This is how little the industry cares about Latin voices.
To show how much quality Latin America filmmaking has to offer, I’ve created a “Oscar nominations” list with only Latin American films in contention, as well as films directed by US Latinx filmmakers or centered around Latinx narratives. Many of these films were official submissions or shortlisted as International Feature selections, and others opened in their respective countries (or, in the case of Netflix releases, worldwide) in 2021. This is just a sample out of films I managed to watch and I’m sure there’s more quality waiting to be discovered.
I don’t know for certain if all of these would have complied with the Academy’s rules to quality, but that’s not the point. I’m doing this little exercise to shine a light on the outstanding work of Latin American cinema and the invaluable stories they are sharing to the world. I hope you can use this article as a guide of high quality films to watch in the near future.
Best Picture
7 Prisoners / 7 Prisioneiros (Brazil)
Azor (Argentina)
The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet / El perro que no calla (Argentina)
Ghosting Gloria / Muerto con Gloria (Uruguay)
Identifying Features / Sin señas particulares (México)
Memoria (Colombia)
My Brothers Dream Awake / Mis hermanos sueñan despiertos (Chile)
Nothing but the Sun / Apenas el sol (Paraguay)
Prayers for the Stolen / Noche de fuego (México)
Private Desert / Deserto Particular (Brazil)
Best Documentary
A Cop Movie / Una película de policías
The Last Forest / A Última Floresta
Nothing But the Sun / Apenas el sol
Stateless / Apátrida
Things We Dare Not Do / Cosas que no hacemos
Best Direction
Alexandre Moratto – 7 Prisoners / 7 Prisioneiros
Aly Muritiba – Private Desert / Deserto Particular
Ana Katz – The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet / El perro que no calla
Fernanda Valadez – Identifying Features / Sin señas particulares
Tatiana Huezo – Prayers for the Stolen / Noche de fuego
Best Actor
Alfonso Herrera – Dance of the 41 / El baile de los 41
Antônio Pitanga – Memory House / Casa de Antiguidades
Antonio Saboia – Private Desert / Deserto Particular
Christian Malheiros – 7 Prisoners / 7 Prisioneiros
Mauricio Di Yorio – The Perfect David / El perfecto David
Best Actress
Érica Rivas – The Intruder / El prófugo
Ilse Salas – Plaza Catedral
Mercedes Hernández – Identifying Features / Sin señas particulares
Stefania Tortorella – Ghosting Gloria / Muerto con Gloria
Wendy Chinchilla Araya – Clara Sola
Best Supporting Actor
Colman Domingo – Zola
Fabián Corres – Summer White / Blanco de verano
Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez – Fauna
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart – The Intruder / El prófugo
Rodrigo Santoro – 7 Prisoners
Best Supporting Actress
Mayra Batalla – Prayers for the Stolen / Noche de fuego
Nenan Pelenur – Ghosting Gloria / Muerto con Gloria
Olga Merediz – In the Heights
Paulina García – My Brothers Dream Awake / Mis hermanos sueñan despiertos
Umbra Colombo – The Perfect David / El perfecto David
Best Original Screenplay
King Car – Sergio Oliveira, Renata Pinheiro, Leo Pyrata
Fauna – Nicolás Pereda
Language Lessons – Natalie Morales, Mark Duplass
Private Desert – Aly Muritiba, Henrique Dos Santos
The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet – Ana Katz, Gonzalo Delgado
Best Adapted Screenplay
On The Third Day – Alberto Fasce, Gonzalo Ventura
Fever Dream – Claudia Llosa, Samanta Schweblin
In the Heights – Quiara Alegría Hudes
Prayers for the Stolen – Tatiana Huezo
Best Animated Feature
Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon
Encanto
Tundama
Vivo
Best Cinematography
The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet / El perro que no calla
Identifying Features / Sin señas particulares
Memory House / Casa de Antiguidades
Private Desert / Deserto Particular
White on White / Blanco en blanco
Best Original Score
Dance of the 41 – Carlo Ayhillón, Andrea Balency-Béarn
The Dog Who Would Be Quiet – Javier Abinet
Ghosting Gloria – Carlos Villavicencio
Nine Days – Antônio Pinto
The Perfect David – Ezequiel Flehner
Best Original Song
Detras del Miedo – Muerto con Gloria
Hablo de… – Language Lessons
Home All Summer – In the Heights
Inside Your Heart – Vivo
Colombia, Mi Encanto – Encanto
Best Editing
7 Prisoners / 7 Prisioneiros
A Cop Movie / Una película de policías
Azor
Identifying Features / Sin señas particulares
The Pink Cloud / A Nuvem Rosa
Best Production Design
7 Prisoners / 7 Prisioneiros
King Car / Carro Rei
Dance of the 41 / El baile de los 41
Memory House / Casa de Antiguidades
White on White / Blanco en blanco
Best Costume Design
Dance of the 41 / El baile de los 41
In the Heights
Memory House / Casa de Antiguidades
Tragic Jungle / Selva trágica
White on White / Blanco en blanco
Best Sound
On The Third Day / Al tercer día
King Car / Carro Rei
Memoria
Noche de fuego / Prayers for the Stolen
Blanco en blanco / White on White
Best Visual Effects
In the Heights
Ghosting Gloria / Muerto con Gloria
King Car / Carro Rei
Memoria
Prayers for the Stolen / Noche de fuego
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Al tercer día / On The Third Day
Dance of the 41 / El baile de los 41
Private Desert / Deserto Particular
Prayers for the Stolen / Noche de fuego
White on White / Blanco en blanco
Best Live Action Short
A Terra Em que Pisar
Bisho
El sueño más largo que recuerdo
Please Hold
Seiva Bruta
Best Documentary Short
Águilas
Elena
Lupita
The Facility
Zunzuncito
Best Animated Short
Bestia
La Bestia
Los Huesos
The Boy & the Mountain
Nuevo Rico
