Patricia Cardoso is the first Latina director who makes it in the National Film Registry.
(Photo : Reuters)

Patricia Cardoso is the first Latina director to be included in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.

The award-winning director has now earned the compliment that she deserves following her groundbreaking film "Real Women Have Curves". The inclusion of the film in the registry is also an honor for America Ferrera who played a vital role in the movie.

"Real Women Have Curves" is not just your typical film as it talked about the life experiences of a young Mexican-American teen who struggled to achieve her dreams amidst her transition towards adulthood. This funny film encompassed themes about mother-daughter relationships, experiences of immigrants in the United States, and the perception of feminine beauty. It can be recalled that Ferrera was just 18 years old when she starred in the film. It opened a door for her to star in the smash-hit TV series "Ugly Betty" in the following years. 

NBC News reports that Ferrera tweeted "What a way to start a career. It was a once-in-a-lifetime role. Hoping we can create more of these opportunities for Latino talent," This could be a good start for the Latino community this year. It can be remembered that 2019 ended with something explosive for them. This is after a Latino owned for the first time the biggest film making production in Hollywood, Latino music tops in the different music platforms, Latinos and Latinas performers were recognized in the different award-winning bodies and more.

In early 2000, "Real Women Have Curves" made different entertainment headlines, especially towards the Latino community. The movie highlighted women of different colors who portrayed the life of Mexican-American families who worked hard in Los Angeles. The film was given due recognition after it received the Audience Award during the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

Patrica Cardoso is a Columbian-American. She released a statement after the announcement of the Library of Congress where she said "I am thankful, it's an honor and I don't take it for granted for me, being one of the first Latinx woman directors is very important. But I would wish I wasn't the first one. I wish there were many, many more before me and certainly hope there are many more coming behind me," Aside from a film director, Cardoso also teaches as a film professor at the University of California, Riverside.

The Library of Congress is the world's largest library that offers access to the creative records in the United States. In 2019, "Real Women Have Curves" was included in the list. Along with this is the "Zoot Suit" by Luis Valdez which tells the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and Zoot Suit Riots and the autobiographical film about the life of the late singer Prince titled "Purple Rain."

Carla Hayden, the librarian of Congress, said that the reasons why those films were included to be added to the library because of their cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance that made them unique compared to other movies. She also added that there out of 775 films recently listed in the National Film Industry only 62 of these were directed by women and just a small percentage is directed by women of colors.