Hispanics in Hollywood broke ground this past year and received an impressive number of Oscar nods.
The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominees this morning and Hispanics were nominated in a variety of categories.
Mexican actor Demián Bichir received the Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination his role in "A Better Life."
This film is set in a Hispanic community and features an almost entirely Hispanic cast. Bichir plays an undocumented gardener living in East L.A. who struggles to give his son the opportunities he never had.
Rev. Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries, run by former gang members, helped find locations for the film to make it as authentic as possible.
For his role in "A Better Life," Bichir, 48, also was nominated for an ALMA Awards Favorite Movie Actor, Independent Spirit Awards for Best Male Lead and a Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
"Hopefully more and more people will jump into iTunes and Netflix to see our film," Bichir told US Weekly. "That will be the biggest reward we could get. I dedicate this nomination to those 11 million human beings who make our lives easier and better in the U.S."
Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern, better known as Emmanuel Lubezki, is a Mexican cinematographer, known for his groundbreaking techniques and characteristic style. Lubezki is in the Best Cinematography category for his work in "The Tree of Life."
He also worked on "Burn After Reading" (2008); "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004); "Ali" (2001); and "Y tu mamá también" (2001).
"Chico & Rita," by Spanish filmmakers Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal was a nominee in the Animated Feature Film category.
"Chico and Rita" is an animated feature-length film. It is set against backdrops of Havana, New York City, Las Vegas, Hollywood and Paris in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The synopsis of the film: A gifted songwriter and beautiful singer chase their dreams -- and each other -– from Havana to New York and Las Vegas. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unite them, but their journey –- in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero –- brings heartache and torment.
Bérénice Bejo, an Argentine-French actress, is best known for her role of Christiana in the 2001 film, "A Knight's Tal."
Bejo received a nominee in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in "The Artist." She played Peppy Miller in the silent film that suprised many viewers.
Alberto Iglesias, a Spanish composer, was nominated for Original Score for the music of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." Iglesias has written music for several of director Pedro Almodóvar's films.
This is not his first Oscar nod. He also was nominated for his work in the films "The Constant Gardener" (2005) and "The Kite Runner" (2007).
Films with multiple nominations:
"Hugo" 11 nominations
"The Artist" 10 nominations
"Moneyball" and "War Horse" 6 nominations each
"The Descendants" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" 5 nominations each
"The Help" and "Midnight in Paris" 4 nominations each
"Albert Nobbs," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," and "The Tree of Life" 3 nominations each
"A Separation," "Bridesmaids," "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," "The Iron Lady," and "My Week with Marilyn" 2 nominations each.
The Oscar awards ceremony will air on Sunday, Feb. 26, on ABC.
