El Paso film critic adds voice to Oscar backlash

The backlash over the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations continues to grow.

ABC-7 spoke with an El Paso film critic, who agrees there’s a need for a shake-up in Hollywood.

“This year, there were incredible films from all over the world that made a difference that were unfortunately ignored, including films that were made in this country,” said Felipa Solis, a voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association.

Solis said she’s glad the issue of diversity in nominations — and film roles — is in the forefront, after decades of black and Latino actors being turned down for roles or snubbed during the awards season.

“We can’t keep in mind the few percentage of actors who we see working every year because they’re the high-dollar actors,” she said, adding that film is an art form and should be treated and respected as a form of expression rather than a way to boost movie studio revenue.

Solis told ABC-7 she’s also pleased that Hollywood heavyweight George Clooney added his voice to the growing discussion. Clooney was quoted in Variety Magazine this week saying, “For Hispanics, it’s even worse. We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it.”

The last Latino nominated for a Best Actor in a Leading Role category was Demian Bichir in 2011’s “A Better Life.”

But that came 47 years after Anthony Quinn was nominated for “Zorba the Greek” in 1964.

Benicio del Toro was the last Latino nominated for a supporting actor role for his part in “21 Grams” in 2003.

Lupita Nyong’o is the last Mexican-born actress to be nominated — and win — in the best supporting actress category in “12 Years a Slave.”

There have been three nominations of Latino women for best actress since 1998 — but no wins.

It’s a fact that gets Solis riled up, as she speaks about the plight of Latino actresses like Katy Jurado and Rita Hayworth, who fought to gain roles that didn’t emphasize their ethnic background or sexuality.

“We’re in 2016. (Recognition) can’t just (happen) because, ‘I played a maid — I might be honored for my body of work,'” Solis said. “It should be because, ‘I’m an artist and I should be honored for my body of work.'”

A minority could win in a major category at the Oscars this year. Alejandro Gonzalez Irritu is nominated for best director (“The Revenant”). He took home the Oscar in the same category in 2014 (“Birdman”) and won the Golden Globe for directing “The Revenant” earlier this month.

The Oscars will be broadcast on ABC-7 Sunday, Feb. 28.

Watch Good Morning El Paso Thursday for anchor Stephanie Valle’s report.