|
 Until then, he is hoping
musical "In The Heights" changes the
conversation in Hollywood about the wider appeal
of such movies, just as "Crazy Rich Asians" did
in 2018.
"The hope for me is that in five years time,
people will go, 'Why was 'In the Heights' such a
big deal? We have 10 Latino movies every year
now,'" said Miranda.
"To be quaint would be a dream come true. No one
movie can encompass the sheer tonnage of stories
we have to offer," said Miranda, who is of
Puerto Rican descent and is the creator of hit
musical "Hamilton."
Latinos in the United States go to the movies
more than Blacks and Asian Americans, according
to a 2018 report by the Motion Picture
Association of America.
Latinos make up around 18% of the U.S.
population. But a 2019 study by the Annenberg
Inclusion Initiative at the University of
Southern California found that just 3% of the
top-grossing movies from 2007-2018 had Latinos
as lead or co-lead actors.
Miranda originally wrote "In the Heights" about
the vibrant multi-racial community in
Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood as a
stage musical, before "Hamilton," which reframes
the story of America's founding fathers through
the perspective of Blacks and Latino immigrants.
Shot on the streets of Washington Heights, with
huge dance numbers and featuring a cast of
rising talent like Anthony Ramos and Melissa
Barrera, "In the Heights" took 13 years to get
to the big screen.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, with some dialogue in
both Spanish and English and storylines about
the struggle to succeed in the United States and
the pull of the homeland, it has won rave
reviews.
[to top of second column]
|
 Variety called it a
"come-one-come-all block party in honor of the
Latino immigrant experience."
"In the Heights" had its first public screening
at the Los Angeles Latino International Film
Festival (LALIFF) last week, which was the first
to focus on Latin movies when it was launched 20
years ago.
It's been an uphill battle for festival
co-founder Edward James Olmos, known for his
roles in "Miami Vice" and "Stand and Deliver."
"This last Oscars - I couldn't even watch it,"
said Olmos. "I was destroyed by the fact that if
it wasn't for Rita Moreno, we would have had no
representation whatsoever."
Moreno, 89, who after 60 years remains the only
Latin American actress to win an acting Oscar
(for "West Side Story"), presented the Academy
Award for best picture at the April ceremony. A
documentary about Moreno is one of more than 50
offerings at the LALIFF festival that includes
works from Brazil, Cuba and Peru.
Olmos says it's a sign of change that he is
getting more calls these days to pitch ideas for
movies and TV shows than he has in recent years.
But he added:
"I don't think it's really ever going to change
until we do what (Black filmmaker) Tyler Perry
did, which was to create his own studio ... This
is what we have to do as Latinx people. I hope
to see that in my lifetime."
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant, Editing by Rosalba
O'Brien)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
