Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, wrote a letter to the Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden.
A congressman is calling for the classic 1990’s movie biopic, “Selena,” to be added to the National Film Registry. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a democrat from Texas, wrote a letter to the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, on Friday, nominating the 1997 film, which starred Jennifer Lopez.
In the letter, Castro talked about how America’s exclusion of Latinos in major film roles impacts society.
“For over a century, movies have been central to how Americans understand each other and our country’s history,” Castro wrote. “However, the film industry’s ongoing exclusion of Latinos unfortunately not only affects the Latinos seeking opportunities in the industry, but also affects how Latinos in everyday life are perceived, stereotyped, and too often misunderstood.”
The move is based on the life and death of Grammy-award winning Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, who shot to fame with hits “Como La Flor” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” Selena was killed in 1995 at the age of 25, by the former manager of her fan club.
"Selena is an American icon and she's so celebrated within the Latino community," Castro, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told NBC News. "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.”
Last month, Netflix released a new show about the singer titled, “Selena: The Series.”
Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 movies that “showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation,” according to their website.
In his letter, Castro also added that being added to the registry is the “the highest recognition Congress can give a piece of cinema,” and that the film, which was directed by Gregory Nava, deserve it.
In a statement of his own after Castro’s nomination, Nava said: "For too long U.S. Latinx filmmakers’ contribution to the film industry have been overlooked and underrepresented. 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."
RELATED STORIES
