“When was the last Latina-directed studio film?”: Eva Longoria Exposes the Dark Side of Hollywood That Overlooks the Female Directors
The Hollywood industry has produced various genres of movies for the audience. From comedy to action to romance, it has given everything. With these films, the industry has also produced many stars. Not just the actors but the entertainment industry has given many renowned directors to the world. Some of the great names of the director include Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese.
Recently 2023 Cannes Film Festival took place, and many films were screened at the event. During the time, Eva Longoria, with her Kering Women in Motion talk, at the event targeted Hollywood for its double standards when it comes to directors. Longoria is an American actress, producer, and director who rose to fame with her series Desperate Housewives. She is making her feature directorial debut.
Eva Longoria criticizes Hollywood for its unfair treatment of female directors
Eva Longoria targeted the Hollywood industry during her Kering Women in Motion talk at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. She, joined by University of Southern California Annenberg professor and researcher Dr. Stacy L. Smith is making her feature directing debut. Her feature film Flamin’ Hot won an audience award at the SXSW Film Festival.
Being a female director, a first-time director, and a Latina director, Longoria felt that the entertainment industry is unfair towards female directors.
The Desperate Housewives alum said she felt the weight of her community and every female director while making Flamin’ Hot.
The 48-year-old actress said,
“We don’t get a lot of bites at the apple. My movie wasn’t low-budget by any means — it wasn’t $100 million, but it wasn’t $2 million. When was the last Latina-directed studio film? It was like 20 years ago. We can’t get a movie every 20 years.”
She told Variety that the entertainment industry does not treat female filmmakers of films equally when compared to male directors.
Longoria added,
“The problem is if this movie fails, people go, ‘Oh Latino stories don’t work…female directors really don’t cut it. A white male can direct a $200 million film, fail and get another one. That’s the problem. I get one at-bat, one chance, work twice as hard, twice as fast, twice as cheap.”
For a filmmaker like Longoria, there can be no room for mistakes since one failure may cost her another opportunity. Despite the pressure from the industry, she is determined in her career as a director.
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Eva Longoria makes her feature directorial debut
The Dora and the Lost City of Gold actress is making her directorial debut with the feature film Flamin’ Hot. It is a story of a janitor who worked at Frito Lay and went on to invent the Flamin’ Hot flavor for Cheetos.
The film, based on the 2013 memoir, tells the tale of Richard Montaez, a Frito-Lay caretaker who helped disrupt the food industry. The film stars Jesse Garcia, Tony Shalhoub, Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, and Annie Gonzalez.
With Flamin’ Hot, Eva Longoria was determined to create a film about Latinos that was inspirational and had characters that mirrored her own family.
Flamin’ Hot is set to release on Hulu on June 9, 2023.
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Source: Variety
