Hispanic and Latino Representation in Film: Erasure On Screen & Behind the Camera Across 1,300 Popular Movies

Vocabulary flashcards covering quantitative findings, qualitative tropes, and conceptual definitions from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study on Hispanic and Latino representation in popular films from 2007 to 2019.

Hispanic/Latino Identity (U.S. Census Definition)

The heritage, nationality, lineage, or country of birth of a person or the person's parents or ancestors before arriving in the United States, encompassing individuals who may be of any race.

Latinx (Study Operational Definition)

A term used within the investigation to designate $U.S.$-born Latinos who are not of Spanish descent, unless Spanish ancestry is combined with another Latino origin.

Afro-Latino

Individuals who identify as both Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino.

Leads and Co-Leads

One to two individual characters or actors driving the plot forward using the three-act structure, analyzed separately from ensemble casts.

Ensemble Cast

A story structure driven by three or more characters or actors rather than one or two individual central protagonists.

Proportionality (Film Level)

A prevalence indicator evaluating whether a film approximates the proportion of Hispanic/Latinos in the $U.S.$ population ($18.7\text{pct}$) within $\pm 2$ percentage points of the U.S. Census benchmark.

Invisibility (Film Level)

A prevalence indicator assessing how frequently Hispanic/Latino characters are completely absent or excluded across stories, resulting in zero speaking or named roles in a film.

Meaningful Change Benchmark

A statistical evaluation threshold requiring a deviation of $5$ percentage points or greater between comparison groups to signify substantial rather than trivial fluctuations.

Community by Association

A qualitative marker evaluating whether a Hispanic/Latino character is depicted interacting or associated with other Hispanic/Latino characters, such as family members or community groups.

Community by Artifacts

A qualitative marker exploring whether a Hispanic/Latino character is shown in the presence of physical symbols or cultural objects associated with Spanish, Hispanic, or Latin American culture.

Community by Remark

A qualitative marker tracking any spoken dialogue or verbal statements referencing a character's Hispanic/Latino ethnic background.

Hispanic/Latino Lead/Co-Lead Prevalence ($2007\text{--}2019$)

Across $1{,}300$ top-grossing films and $1{,}387$ total leads/co-leads, only $48$ ($3.5\text{pct}$) were Hispanic/Latino, rising from zero in $2007$ to $7$ in $2019$.

Gender Distribution of Hispanic/Latino Leads

Over half ($54.2\text{pct}$, $n = 26$) of all Hispanic/Latino leads across the $13$-year sample were girls or women, but they accounted for only $1.9\text{pct}$ of all leads/co-leads samplewide.

Age $45$ and Older Lead Erasure

Less than $1\text{pct}$ ($10$ roles) of $1{,}300$ films featured a Hispanic/Latino lead aged $45$ or older; only $3$ were women, two of which were portrayed by the same actor.

Overall Speaking Character Prevalence

Out of $51{,}158$ speaking or named characters evaluated across $1{,}300$ films from $2007$ to $2019$, only $5.0\text{pct}$ ($n = 2{,}578$) were Hispanic/Latino, showing no meaningful change over time.

Female Speaking Character Invisibility

A total of $856$ out of $1{,}300$ films ($65.8\text{pct}$) erased Hispanic/Latina girls and women entirely, including $59$ out of $100$ films in $2019$ and $78$ out of $100$ films in $2007$.

Intersectional Representation: Disability and LGBTQ+

Across five years and $500$ films, $95.4\text{pct}$ lacked a Hispanic/Latino character with a disability; across six years and $600$ films, $98.8\text{pct}$ excluded LGBTQ+ Hispanic/Latino characters.

Hispanic/Latino Director Representation

Represented $4.2\text{pct}$ ($61$ credits across $35$ individual helmers) of all $1{,}447$ directors on top-grossing films from $2007$ to $2019$.

Hispanic/Latina Female Directors

Only $3$ individual Hispanic women or Latinas directed a top $100$ film between $2007$ and $2019$: Patricia Riggen, Melina Matsoukas, and Roxann Dawson.

Director Gender Disparity Ratio

The numerical relationship between white male directors and Hispanic female or Latina directors across the $13$-year sample, standing at $200\text{ to }1$.

White Male to Latinx Director Ratio

The representation gap between white male helmers and $U.S.$-born Latinx directors across $1{,}300$ top films, measured at $50\text{ to }1$.

Director-to-Cast Representation Link

Films with a Hispanic/Latino director featured casts where $13.9\text{pct}$ of speaking roles were Hispanic/Latino, compared to $4.7\text{pct}$ in films with non-Hispanic/Latino directors.

Hispanic/Latino Producer Representation

Accounted for $3.0\text{pct}$ ($119$ of $3{,}953$ credits) across $1{,}300$ top films, with Hispanic/Latina women representing $0.7\text{pct}$ ($26$ credits held by $13$ individuals).

Hispanic/Latino Casting Director Representation

Comprised $3.3\text{pct}$ ($66$ of $2{,}014$) of casting directors across $1{,}300$ films, with women holding $74.2\text{pct}$ ($n = 49$) of these credits.

Criminality Stereotype Depiction ($2019$)

A qualitative finding where $39.5\text{pct}$ of top-billed and $29.8\text{pct}$ of all Hispanic/Latino characters were depicted as criminals, with $40\text{pct}$ of top-billed criminals engaged in violent crime.

Occupational Stereotyping in Film

A qualitative finding that $47.3\text{pct}$ of employed Hispanic/Latino characters worked in jobs without specialized education, while only $12.7\text{pct}$ held professional roles and $3.6\text{pct}$ held STEM careers.

Language and Foreignness Otherization

A framing tendency where $37.2\text{pct}$ of Hispanic/Latino characters spoke no English, $30.5\text{pct}$ spoke English with an accent, and only $33.3\text{pct}$ were portrayed as $U.S.$-born.

Hispanic/Latino Economic and Demographic Disconnect

The disparity where Hispanic/Latinos account for "$"1.7\text{ trillion} in consumer spending, $25\text{pct}$ of movie tickets sold, and $49\text{pct}$ of Los Angeles' population, yet fill only $5\text{pct}$ of film roles.