A new documentary tackling the life and career of award-winning Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno was released last Friday. The documentary shifts the spotlight to Moreno's humble beginnings in her home country, as well as her success on Broadway and Hollywood.

With the new documentary release, Rita Moreno is finally being recognized as a Latina trailblazer during her time. Moreno is one of the 16 artists to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.

The documentary was directed by the award-winning filmmaker Mariem Pérez Riera. According to an NBC News report, it was said to detail the highs of Moreno's rise to Hollywood. Aside from her success, the documentary also showed the relentless racism and sexual abuse that Moreno endures along the way.

"The first time I interviewed Rita, I had prepared a series of questions about the biggest moments of her career. As soon as she started speaking, I immediately saw myself reflected in her answers," Pérez Riera said in her director's note.

Pérez Riera noted that she could relate to all Rita Moreno was saying, like her stories about discrimination, the insecurities she felt, and the complicated love relationships. Pérez Riera added that she could also relate to Moreno's constant need to work three times harder to prove to others that she's worthy.

The director said they always wanted to make a documentary about Rita Moreno. But it's not only to showreel her career and how great the Puerto Rican actress is.

"When I make or watch a documentary, I want to be able to know that person more than just what I already know, so it was very important for me to go deeper and to understand her as a human being," Pérez Riera said in a report. 

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Rita Moreno's Documentary Production

The filmmaker followed Rita Moreno for a few months in late 2018 to give the documentary an air of authenticity that also gives viewers a glimpse of the actress' daily life, including making her breakfast, doing her hair and makeup, and driving herself to long hours of work.

The documentary also offers insights into her peers, co-stars, and admirers, including Eva Longoria, Morgan Freeman, Gloria Estefan, Hector Elizondo, and fellow EGOT Whoopi Goldberg, according to a Refinery 29 report.

Rita Moreno is one of two Latinas to win Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy and the only Latina nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama. However, Moreno said that the awards do not really matter, according to an Indie Wire report.

The 89-year-old actress said that what becomes more significant is how the actor used her platform to champion more diverse voices, wherein some situations still face discrimination.

Pérez Riera said that she would love people to be inspired by her story, to her continuous fight to become the person that Moreno is today.

The documentary entitled "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It" premiered on Jan. 29 at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

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