Congressman Castro Calls for Public Nominations of Latino Films to be Preserved in the National Film Registry
San Antonio, TX — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) launched a nationwide call for public suggestions to help shape his fourth annual list of nominations of Latino driven films that should be preserved in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
“Every year, we have the opportunity to uplift Latino stories and contributions to American society,” said Congressman Castro. “With every film that’s inducted, we honor extraordinary Latino actors, writers, directors, and creatives, and their undeniable influence in shaping the arts. I am excited to hear from folks around the country about the Latino films that touched them.”
To submit a nomination, visit castro.house.gov/film. Films must be at least ten years old. To be eligible for the members’ official nomination to the Library of Congress, submissions must be received by Wednesday, August 6th. The Library of Congress will announce the final list of inductees before the end of the year.
Background
Since 1989, the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress has worked to preserve films with cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance to life in the United States. Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 new films that are intended to represent the range and diversity of American film heritage to the National Film Registry. Despite this mandate, less than five percent of the 900 titles on the National Film Registry are currently Latino-driven stories.
In 2021, as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressman Castro successfully advocated for the inclusion of Selena – the 1997 biopic starring Jennifer Lopez – in that year’s inductions to the National Film Registry. In the following years, he successfully nominated six additional films – The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982), ¡Alambrista! (1997), Mi Familia (1995), American Me (1992), Up in Smoke (1978), and Spy Kids (2001) to the registry.