Castro nominates Latino movies to national archive

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) this week nominated 27 Latino-driven movies to be included in the National Film Registry.

Why it matters: The registry is an archive of films with cultural and historical significance in the U.S., but Latino-driven films are underrepresented.

• Fewer than 3%, or 24 of the 850 movies on the registry, are Latino-driven, per Castro's office.

What they're saying: "Given the film industry's continued exclusion of Latinos, we must make a special effort to ensure that Latino Americans' contributions to American filmmaking are appropriately celebrated," Castro said in a statement.

Flashback: "Selena" was inducted into the registry in 2021 after Castro nominated it.

Included in the movies Castro nominated are:

• "Like Water for Chocolate": A romantic drama set in a border town at the onset of the Mexican revolution. Available to rent on Amazon Prime.
• "Blood In, Blood Out": The story of three Chicano cousins touched by gang conflict in East Los Angeles. Buy it, old school, on Amazon.
• "…And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him": A Mexican boy and his family struggle to make a living in 1950s Texas in migrant farm work. Available to stream on Kanopy.

• "Tortilla Soup": A retired chef insists on gathering with his three grown daughters every Sunday for dinner despite changes in their lives. Available to rent on Amazon Prime.
• "The Longoria Affair": A documentary about a dead soldier whose family was denied services at the only funeral home in a Texas town. Available on PBS.

What's next: The Library of Congress will select 25 films to be added to the registry in December.