Film

Entertainment correspondent Cristina Escobar steps into the host seat again to talk with Linda Yvette Chavez, writer of the film ‘Flamin’ Hot,’ about the importance of family and community to both the filmmaking process and the extraordinary story of Richard Montañez.

Now with its second installment in the visually stunning sequel ‘Across the Spider-Verse,’ the Miles Morales franchise is glorious, a whole step above the usual comic book fare. And we Latinos should be shouting from the rooftops about it.

On Tuesday PBS aired ‘After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas Politics,’ produced by Frontline, Futuro Investigates and the Texas Tribune, in which journalist Maria Hinojosa reports on the trauma and debate over assault rifles following last year’s shooting at Robb Elementary.

The 22nd edition of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival kicks off Wednesday with a special screening of Eva Longoria’s directorial debut in ‘Flamin’ Hot,’ but here are eight other titles you may not get to see anywhere else.

As loud as we rightfully get when Hollywood execs cancel a Latino show, we should be just as vocal when our shows get renewed. So let’s take a moment to celebrate the fact that several Latino shows are getting new seasons!

Christina Vidal sits down with Latino Rebels to discuss Amazon Freevee’s ‘Primo,’ bringing that female energy to a largely male cast, and the ways in which Latino representation has changed since her TV debut more than 20 years ago.

Jennifer Lopez has more than earned the right to be the star, to put great men in supporting roles, and tell a story that unapologetically centers her. It’s a rare feat for a Latina, but hopefully one that becomes less so as J.Lo continues paving the way.

“I’ve always wanted to work with (writer-director) Robert (Rodriguez),” Brazilian actress Alice Braga told Latino Rebels. “He’s a Latino director that really, really believes in representation. And he supports a lot the Latin community. He brings Latin actors like myself to work on his films.”

“I wanted to write my own history, add a piece, and make it from the point of view of a woman, the anonymous woman,” says Manuel Martelli, co-writer and director of ‘Chile ‘76,’ which offers up a slice of bourgeoisie life under the infamous dictator Augusto Pinochet.

‘Chile ’76’ and ‘The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future’ not only announce the arrival of two distinctive, idiosyncratic voices, but directors Manuela Martelli and Francisca Alegría are harbingers of what is yet to come from Latin American cinema.

Produced by the largest grassroots immigrant youth rights group, United We Dream, ‘No Borders, Just Flavors’ features young immigrants battling it out in the kitchen to see who has the better dish while sharing what their recipe means to them.

Entertainment correspondent Cristina Escobar steps into the host seat for a conversation with actor and comedian John Leguizamo to discuss his passion and activism in Hollywood as well as his new show on MSNBC, ‘Leguizamo Does America.’

A lot of people have accents. And with a little more respect and knowledge, Hollywood might finally portray them that way.

In ‘Chupa,’ a fun family film with an awkward title, we see a Mexican American boy go from shame to triumph, and all it takes is a little magic and a lot of love.

Antonia Cereijido interviews former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo about his real-life experience that inspired the Oscar-nominated film ‘Argentina, 1985.’

Puerto Rican director Kristian Mercado calls his sci-fi rom-com ‘If You Were the Last,’ which premiered at this year’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, a rare opportunity for a Latino filmmaker “to do things that are really outside the box.”

People of color being recognized for their artistic achievements shouldn’t be an outlier, and we shouldn’t still be celebrating “firsts” at awards shows.

“For the longest time, we were only thought of as side characters, the best friend, or the one that gets killed off first,” Melissa Barrera, who stars as co-lead Sam in the latest installment in the ‘Scream’ series, told Latino Rebels. “To have two final girls that are Latinas is powerful.”

In ‘Sansón and Me,’ a documentary that follows the story of a young man sentenced to life in prison for his role in a gang-related shooting, Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes’ voice overpowers and undermines his well-meaning intentions.

Premiering March 10, ‘Righteous Thieves’ is essentially a Latino ‘Ocean’s 11,’ with our clever burglars stealing back paintings from Nazis that stole them from Jewish families during the Holocaust. There’s power and joy in this silly heist film that puts Latinos at its center but doesn’t spend time on their identity.

The Chilean American actor is currently starring in two of the biggest shows: HBO’s ‘The Last of Us,’ which has topped the charts every week since premiering in January, and Disney’s ‘The Mandalorian,’ now in its third season. But that doesn’t quite explain how he became the internet’s favorite obsession.