Five new Latino-led films have been added to the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
Four of these were among the films nominated for inclusion by San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus earlier this year.
The list includes Mi Familia, American Me, Up in Smoke, and Spy Kids.
The list of inducted films also includes Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which features iconic Latino actor Ricardo Montalbán.
This year marks the most inductions of Latino-led films in the Registry's history.
“The new Latino-led films added to the National Film Registry tell complex and sometimes difficult stories, featuring Latinos as heroes and villains, hard-working immigrants and goofballs, space travelers and so much more," Castro said in a statement. "Together, these films represent a unique cross-section of Latino contributions to American cinema and showcase the talent Latinos bring to the screen."
The National Film Registry has worked since 1989 to preserve films with cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance to the U.S.
Films are chosen by the National Film Preservation Board with input from media leaders and the public. Less than 5% of the inducted titles into the registry are Latino-driven stories.
Over the last three years, Castro successfully nominated ¡Alambrista! and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez.
In 2021, Castro advocated for the inclusion of the Selena biopic to be added to the registry.
Click here to see the full list of 25 films added to the registry. The new selections date back nearly 130 years and bring the number of titles in the Registry to 900.
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