Diversity in movies has gained strength recently, and especially in Hollywood productions, an important place for debate. Despite the low Latino or Hispanic representation in the cultural industry as a whole, some recent productions have shown some concern with the theme of inclusion.

With the prevalence of nominations by white artists to awards, some boycotts and protests became increasingly common in the history of American cinema. We can mention the boycott of the 2016 Oscar ceremony by director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith, both African-Americans. In that context, the list of Oscar nominees for performance did not include African-American artists for the second year in a row. 

The demand for inclusive productions was supported by “Seen”, the series that recently premiered on the Academy Awards YouTube channel. So far, there are three episodes and the production is presented on the channel as “a new series featuring Nick Barili that deep dives into the stories of artists with Latin American and Spanish roots exploring their craft, culture and breaking down barriers in filmmaking”.

“Seen” premiered January 22 on the Academy's YouTube channel as a response to the demand for valuing diversity. The production follows Argentine-American journalist, director, and producer Nick Barili in interviews with influential Latinos in film production. He is also the creator of the show, with partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a.k.a “The Academy”. 

There are over 60 million Latinos in the United States, according to the latest census, and one out of every four viewers is Latino. Even so, the Latino community is represented in only “four percent of the movie roles out there right now”, according to Nick Barili to the series' official website.

Concerned with providing a platform for discussion among Latin artists to openly talk about their experiences and feelings, Barili highlights that “films depicting the Latinx experience need to be produced and distributed, especially when many of the films that currently exist depict harmful stereotypes”.

“The series kicks off with a candid, in-depth conversation with John Leguizamo, the star of films like Carlito's Way, Romeo + Juliet and, most recently, Encanto. […] Subsequent episodes will feature Edward James Olmos, the icon, activist, and Academy Award nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the 1988 drama Stand and Deliver, and Eva Longoria, the actress-producer-director”.

Furthermore, according to his report to the series' official website, Barili stated: “I want to talk to a lot of the younger generation too because I think what's important for the series is to talk to people at different steps of their journey. There are so many!”

The series has new episodes every Monday is available here.