July 16, 2024

Congressman Castro Launches Third Annual Call for Public Suggestions of Latino-Driven Films to Nominate for the National Film Registry

SAN ANTONIO —Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) launched a nationwide call for public suggestions to help shape his third annual list of nominations of Latino-driven films that should be preserved in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.

“For more than a century, Latino filmmakers have poured their talent and creativity into bringing our stories to the silver screen. As my office launches our third annual public call for nominations, I’m excited to hear from folks across the country about the Latino-driven movies that have had an enduring impact on their lives. I’m looking forward to putting together an incredible list of the Latino films that have shaped American life for the Library of Congress to consider as they select this year’s additions to the National Film Registry,” said Congressman Castro.

Latino-driven films can be submitted by visiting Castro.House.gov/films. To be eligible, films must be at least ten years old. Members of the public are encouraged to submit their nominations both to Congressman Castro and directly to the Library of Congress and will be directed to do so after submitting their nominations to Congressman Castro.

Background

In 1988, Congress directed the Library of Congress to establish a National Film Registry to preserve films with cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance to life in the United States. Every year, the National Film Registry selects 25 films for preservation that are intended to represent the range and diversity of American film heritage. Despite this mandate, less than five percent of the 875 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 two additional films – The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) and ¡Alambrista! (1997) to the registry. For the full list of films previously nominated by Congressman Castro and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, click here (2021) and here (2023).