Since the 1920s, Hollywood cast Latinos as bandits, exotic dancers, or anonymous foreigners, often even replaced by white actors in disguise. But across the decades, the community pushed back. Icons like Rita Moreno and Edward James Olmos, fueled by the social movements of the ’60s and ’70s, opened the door to a more authentic presence on screen.

Today, filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón, along with actors such as Pedro Pascal and America Ferrera, break stereotypes and bring Latino heritage into universal stories. Featuring archives, film clips, and voices from within the community—including Jimmy Smits, Jose Zuniga, Esai Morales, and Edward James Olmos—this documentary takes us from the black-and-white era to today’s cinema, showing how representation shapes the way we imagine the world.