Three weeks ago, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) had a press conference in Los Angeles calling for a boycott of Paramount Pictures citing the studio’s “galling track record” when it comes to hiring Latinx people in front and behind the camera. This came after an Annenberg Foundation study showed that just 3.1 percent of popular films included a Latino character.
Now the NHMC is teaming up with the National Latino Media Council (NLMC) to put on a protest in front of the famed Paramount Pictures gate this coming Saturday, August 25. The objective of the protest will be to “increase positive media portrayals of Latinos and increase Latino employment in the film industry.” They hope the studio will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the coalition to increase Latino representation. The demonstration is set to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday (on the corner of Melrose Ave. and Windsor Blvd.) to be followed by a short program of speakers. Guests will include the President and CEO of NHMC, Alex Nogales and others.
With all the discussion around diversity, particularly in television, it’s disconcerting that the film industry is still so far behind. Protests like these can definitely force the hand of companies to make an attempt at furthering diversity. This is said to be one of many protests against various studios so it’ll be interesting to see how the movement progresses from here.