Do Americans have it easier than Latinas in the filmmaking industry?
Eva Longoria, an actress, producer, and director, talks about how she carried her "generational trauma" as a Latina filmmaker.
The biggest distinction for Latina and white directors is the ability to fail.
Longoria mentions, "The problem is if this movie fails, people go, 'Oh Latino stories don't work... female directors really don't cut it.' We don't get a lot of at-bats."
Flamin' Hot, a biographical film, was fueled by Eva Longoria's feeling of having to carry the weight of her community and the weight of every female director. The Flamin' Hot film resembled all of Longoria's family; from her father to her uncles.
The motivational and hopeful story looks at how corporate America underestimates the Hispanic community.
Even with the strides of the Latino community being included in Hollywood, it doesn't seem to be progressing as everyone had hoped for. On the contrary, it seems to have been moving backwards.
"We're still underrepresented in front of the camera, we're still underrepresented behind the camera, we're still not tapping into the females of the Latino community," Longoria says.
Hollywood doesn't play fair when it comes to a female Latin film and an American male film being flopped.
White males can direct a million-dollar film, flop and still get another on in no time.
On the other hand, Longoria, along with other female Latin, only get one chance.
Not only do Latina directors have to work twice as hard and faster, but they also have to make it twice as cheap from everyone else.
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