California Latino Caucus Expresses Concern to Dave Rubin Over Lack of Latino Representation in Film Industry in Lead-up to the Oscars

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - On the eve of Hollywood’s biggest night of the year at the Academy Awards, the California Latino Legislative Caucus has sent a letter to Dave Rubin, President of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts, expressing the Caucus’ concern over the lack of representation in the film industry and requesting an update on the Academy’s efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the film community.

The letter comes in response to a new report by the UCLA College of Social Sciences on Hollywood diversity, which showed that in 2021 Latinos made up only 7.7 percent of all film roles and less than 6 percent of writers and directors.

“Despite making up 40 percent of California’s population, Latinos continue to be severely underrepresented in film, one of our state’s most-defining industries,” said Senator María Elena Durazo, Chair of the Latino Caucus. “What this means is another generation of movie viewers not seeing our experiences, not hearing our stories, and ultimately, not appreciating who we are and the contributions we make. We know the film industry alone cannot solve these deeply entrenched issues, but these numbers don’t lie - the film industry is not doing enough to include Latinos.”

The letter did acknowledge the Academy’s strides in recent years to improve diversity, and reinforced the opportunities available through the California Film Tax Credit to bolster diversity for roles in the film industry. 

“As state legislators, we are eager to work collaboratively with you and other film industry stakeholders to elevate Latino representation above and below the line,” Caucus leadership wrote to Rubin.

The letter in its entirety is linked here.

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CONTACT: Michael Tonetti / michael.tonetti@sen.ca.gov / 213-280-6917