Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Aug 2025 Open Access

Chicanx Filmmaking: Producing the Next Generation of Resilient Cinema

Elvira Carrizal-Dukes

Abstract

Chicanx filmmakers are consciously aware of negative reproductions or unproductions (meaning no representations) of themselves in mainstream motion pictures. It is a fact that Chicanx are underrepresented in mainstream cinema. Although Hispanics represent 18% of the U.S. population and contribute 21% percent of U.S. box office revenue, only about 5% percent of actors in top Hollywood films are Hispanic (Ryan 2017). Hispanic representation behind the camera is just as dismal. Unsurprisingly, Latinas in the U.S. are near non-existent in the director’s chair (Smith, Choueiti, & Pieper 2018). In order to provide a counter-narrative or to fill the absence of Chicanx on screen and behind the camera, Chicanx filmmakers are called on, now more than ever, to produce films through any means necessary. By doing so, we may advance our own knowledge about ourselves, our culture, experiences, and history, which may contribute to a new generation of Chicanx films.

Journal
Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric
Published
2025-08-29
DOI
10.59236/rjv20i3pp68-78
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Open Access
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Topics
race and writing
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