Hollywood still undervalues Latinas. LIFE Film Festival gives them the spotlight

LIFE Film Festival (Latina Independent Film Extravaganza) returns to Los Angeles this week for its 13th year. Founded by “Real Women Have Curves” playwright Josefina López, the festival volition surface implicit 60 abbreviated films and 4 diagnostic movies astatine Casa 0101 successful Boyle Heights, and for the archetypal clip astatine Cinépolis successful Pico Rivera.

From Thursday to Sunday, LIFE Film Festival volition connection a bid of workshops and networking opportunities wherever aspiring filmmakers volition person a accidental to larn from Latinas successful Hollywood, similar Emmy Award-winning exertion Michelle Tesoro, who worked connected Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” and the 2023 movie “Maestro.”

Since López founded LIFE Film Festival successful 2013, her committedness remains the same: to observe Latino stories successful cinema and empower the adjacent procreation of Latina filmmakers.

As a Chicana screenwriter and shaper for implicit 30 years, López knows firsthand the underrepresentation of Latinos successful Hollywood films. “Latinos are the bulk present successful California, and we’re inactive rendered invisible, adjacent though the manufacture is close successful our backyard,” López said. “They conscionable truly don’t privation to put successful our stories.”

According to UCLA’s 2025 Hollywood Diversity Report, which looked astatine the 104 top-performing English-language movies released successful 2024, lone 1% of starring roles went to Latinos; little than 5% of directors were Latino; and astir 2% of writers were Latino successful past year’s apical movies. Latinos marque up astir 20% of the U.S. population.

When it comes to gender, the disparities were adjacent much glaring. There were zero Latina directors and screenwriters successful the apical theatrical movie releases of 2024. In beforehand of the camera, the numbers weren’t that overmuch better. Less than 1 successful 50 movie roles went to Latinas.

“I ne'er knew anybody successful my household who was a screenwriter, and present I’m a WGA screenwriter and I’m giving backmost to my community,” LIFE Film Festival co-director Cristina Nava said. “I could beryllium the tia [to] 1 of these filmmakers.”

López’s effect to underrepresentation extends beyond opening doors. With LIFE, she says she wants to enactment storytellers who are challenging Latino stereotypes. “There are each sorts of Latinos,” López said. “Yes, we are the immigrants, the servants, but we’re much than that.”

Every year, LIFE recognizes a Latina moviemaker whose enactment has reshaped practice wrong the amusement industry, with the Lupe Ontiveros Award.

Created by López to grant the legendary Mexican American actress, the grant is bestowed to a filmmaker whose enactment amplifies Latino voices. This year’s honoree is “Encanto” Oscar-winning shaper Yvett Merino.

In her 35 year-long career, Ontiveros played the relation of maids and housekeepers implicit 150 times. López believed that Hollywood was wasting her friend’s talents and promised to formed her arsenic a much analyzable and absorbing character.

López kept her word, casting Ontiveros arsenic Carmen, the hardworking, hysterical parent successful “Real Women Have Curves.” “We person to support telling stories truthful that each these talented Latino actors person amended opportunities than to play stereotypes,” she said.