Protesters Picket During Oscar Lunch Over Hispanic Representation In Hollywood

More than 50 protesters demonstrated outside the annual Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton to protest the under-representation of Latinos in the film industry. Carrying signs saying “Enough is Enough” and chanting “Oscars so white” and “Latinos excluded, time to be included,” they’re demanding that Hollywood film studios include more Hispanics in front of and behind the cameras. Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said his anger was aimed not at the academy, but at the movie executives who were attending the luncheon. “Unless something changes very fast, we are going to start boycotting individual studios this year and calling executives out by name,” he said. “The reason we’re here is because the heads of all the studios are inside, and they’re not utilizing Latino talent, neither in front of nor behind the cameras,” he said. “Enough is enough. Only 3.1% of the speaking roles in Hollywood movies go to Latinos, and we make up 18% of the population.”

Other speakers at the protest included former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina; Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF; producer Moctesuma Esparza; and Arenas Entertainment founder and CEO Santiago Pozo.