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About the Latino Committee

The Latino Committee (LC) was created to advance the professional interests of our members, to heighten our visibility and career opportunities, and to promote visibility and leadership positions within the Guild. The Committee is dedicated to empowering Latinos in all Guild categories, to advocating employment equity, and to forging partnerships between Latinos and the entertainment industry. To achieve this mandate, the LC sponsors workshops, seminars, networking sessions and major events to showcase members’ talent, enhance qualifications, improve employment opportunities, recognize our contributions and increase visibility in the industry. The LC also maintains open lines of communication and strengthen ties with Guild members across all Guild categories, including DGA leadership. We are dedicated to developing and maintaining relationships with industry decision makers and organizations with whom we share our common goals. The LC strongly supports the leadership of the Guild in its commitment to promote diversity in our industry, encouraging greater participation of Latino/a members in all Guild activities, councils and committees to the common interest of the Guild and our members.
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History of the Latino Committee

In February of 1990, DGA members Luis Valdez, Sylvia Morales, Edward James Olmos, Frank Zúñiga, José Luis Ruiz and Jesús Treviño met and identified the need for an organization within the Guild that would address the special needs and interests of its Latino membership. The group was officially recognized by the DGA's National Board, which voted to support the creation of the Latino Committee in February 1991.

The primary purpose of the Committee is to explore how Latino artists can advance their careers, enhance their job opportunities in both the English and Spanish-speaking media and improve their craft skills within the television and motion picture industry. Members view the Latino Committee as a networking association whose goal it is to educate the industry about their talents and availability.

The first event organized by the Committee was a tribute to the internationally renowned Mexican cinematographer, Gabriel Figueroa, who worked for such diverse directors as John Ford, John Huston, Don Siegel, Luis Buñuel and Emilio Fernández. The Committee strongly believes in being tied to the concerns of the Latino community in Los Angeles, and to that end, co-sponsored an evening with the late Farmworkers Union activist Cesar Chavez in 1992. They also collaborated with the UCLA Chicano/Chicana Studies Program and the National Latino Communications Center on the highly successful "New Latino Image in Hollywood" event in 1994.

The Committee has held informal discussions with producers and directors such as David Valdes, León Ichaso, Andy García, Alfonso Arau, Moctesuma Esparza, Gregory Nava and Carlos Avila. In 1995, Francisco "Chico" Day, the first Mexican-American member of the DGA, was honored during a book signing reception for Hispanics in Hollywood: A Film and Television Encyclopedia, written by Committee member Luis Reyes. In 1997, the Committee showcased the DGA Latino Heritage Project, the first documentary of its kind, directed by Lillian Fuentes.

In collaboration with the African-American, Asian and Women's Steering Committees, the Latino Committee has co-hosted the DGA Student Film Award since its inception in 1995. In 1997, and again in 1999, the Committee held a roundtable gathering of Latinos working within the film, television and advertising industries, bringing together directors, writers, producers and executives that would otherwise rarely get a chance to meet. By facilitating networking both in and outside the Guild, the Latino Committee is accomplishing its goals by communicating to the industry that there is a professional, creative and lasting Latino presence within our industry.


For more information about the Latino Committee, contact DGA Field Representative Reza Shaker at (213) 320-8711 or via email at rshaker@dga.org.

DGA Members: Please log in for meeting times and other Latino Committee information.

 

Contact
Reza Shaker
DGA Field Representative
(213) 320-8711
rshaker@dga.org
Committee Chairs
Eli Gonda
Co-Chair
Regina Ainsworth
Director Category Representative
Chemen A. Ochoa
AD/UPM Category Rep
Angela Visca
AD/SM/PA Category Representative
DGA Diversity & Inclusion Mission Statement
DGA Public Comment: California Assembly Select Committee on Latina Hiring Inequities

On April 23, 2021, the DGA submitted public comment for the informational hearing on Unseen Latinas in Hollywood.

Félix Alcalá

Director Félix Alcalá (ER, The Good Wife, Madam Secretary) discusses his directorial career in episodic television, movies for television, and feature film; his background as a cinematographer; and shares some of the lessons he’s learned while behind the camera.

Jesús Treviño

Jesús Treviño discusses his career as a director of documentaries, episodic series and movies for television and his work on the series Resurrection Blvd.. Treviño also shares his working philosophy, his responsibility as a director in representing his community, and his involvement with the DGA’s Latino Committee.

David Wader

Veteran Stage Manager David Wader discusses his 35-plus year career in musical and variety specials, award shows, situation comedies, and movies for television.

Luis Valdez

Luis Valdez (La Bamba, Zoot Suit) details his extensive career directing groundbreaking theater, film and television about the Chicano experience.