Activists will stage a protest against Paramount Pictures on Saturday for their “dismal record of hiring Latino talent.”
According to Deadline, the protests will be led by the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the National Latino Media Council and are intended to coincide with and promote a boycott both organizations announced last month. Planning to make this the “first of many” protests, the organizations hope that Paramount will eventually sign a memorandum of understanding “to increase representation of Latinos in front and back of the camera.”
After the boycott was announced, Paramount said it would speak with the NHMC “in a good faith effort to see how we could partner as we further drive Paramount’s culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.”
In a statement, Paramount boasted of upcoming films on their slate that will bolster diversity.
“Under our new leadership team, we continue to make progress – including ensuring representation in front of and behind the camera in upcoming films such as Dora the Explorer, Instant Family, and Limited Partners – and welcome the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with the Latino creative community further,” Paramount said.
Protesters say that Latinos “remain the most underrepresented minority in Hollywood” despite being 18% of the U.S. population and 24% of moviegoers.
“How Latinos are perceived on screen greatly impacts the way they are treated,” the organizers say. “In the current political climate, it’s important for us to be seen and viewed in a positive manner.”
NHMC rejects Paramount’s diversity defense, saying that research shows the studio “has the worst numbers amongst all film studios when it comes to Latino representation in front and behind the camera. Out of the top 100 grossing films of both 2016 and 2017, Paramount Pictures produced 20 films. Of the 20 films, there were only seven Latino actors, one Latino director, and zero Latino writers.”