Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) nominated the movie "Selena" to be included in the National Film Registry.

(Photo : Rachel Murray/Getty Images)

Members or lawmakers from the CHC nominated the Mexican American filmmaker Gregory Nava's 1997 movie "Selena" for inclusion in the National Film Registry.

This is part of the group to ramp up its effort in making sure that Hispanics and Latinos are well represented in the Film Industry. 

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CHC nominated "Selena" in the National Film Registry

It has always been the mission of CHC to ensure that Hispanics and Latinos are well represented in the different industries.

This time, the group of Democratic Latino lawmakers is pushing the film "Selena" to be included in the National Film Industry. 

Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro wrote a letter to Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden on Friday and emphasized in his letter that the film industry continued to exclude Latinos and this is what they want to eradicate. This will help boost Latino visibility in the media. 

Castro also told NBC News, "Selena is an American icon and she's so celebrated within the Latino community. I think part of the affirmation of that was, not only the success of the film but also the recent success of the television series."

It can be recounted that the film starring Jennifer Lopez depicts the life, remarkable rise, and tragic death of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla. I also touch on important themes of cultural identity and assimilation faced by Mexican American communities as they navigate their personal connections between two cultures and languages.

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Big step for Latino film industry

Castro's letter to Hayden highlights the importance of this movie in Latino film industry. He also advised the panel to give 'careful consideration' to this movie, as it has become an instrumental part in Latino culture.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Gregory Nava, who directed the film, released a statement about the nomination. Nava claimed that Latino filmmakers have been "overlooked and underrepresented" in the film industry.

"Our community is important and growing and our stories need to be told. I applaud the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' efforts to bring attention to this and to honor the accomplishments of Latinx filmmakers."

Castro also added that Latinos have been left out of the representation of American culture by and large. The nomination of "Selena" is one of the efforts in making sure that Latinos are represented in the telling of American culture and the retelling of American culture.

Latino filmmakers are underrepresented 

According to a recent study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, it was found out that 44 of the 100 top movies in 2019 had absolutely no Latino characters with speaking roles. This result did not differ from the previous data in 2018 and 2015. 

Additionally, only 4.9 percent of the speaking roles in last year's top 100 movies went to Hispanic actors even though there country's population is composed of 19 percent.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative also added that Latinos were the only major racial group that was underrepresented in on-screen speaking roles in 2019.