Film Festival Organizer Says a Group of Mexican Actresses Tried to Keep Yalitza Aparicio From Being Nominated for Prestigious Award

By:
Feb 12, 2019
1:26 PM

Yalitza Aparicio attends The Hollywood Reporter 2019 Oscar Nominee Party on February 4, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

UPDATE (February 15, 11am ET): Critically acclaimed Mexican film director María José Cuevas corroborated Rossana Barro’s story on social media. When asked if it could be true, she said “Sí. Confirmado por varios lados,” which roughly translates to “Yes. Confirmed through various sides.”

In addition, a new and unconnected story of a social media video showing actor Sergio Goyri calling Aparicio a “pinche india” (a f*cking Indian) has gone viral in Mexico on Friday, Mexico.com reported. Just another example of racism against the Oscar-nominated actress?

ORIGINAL STORY, PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 12

Rossana Barro, who works with The Morelia International Film Festival, revealed on Twitter that there’s a chat group with Mexican actresses ready to ask the Mexican Film Academy (AMCC) to keep Yalitza Aparicio from being nominated for its awards. The Mexican news website Sin Embargo reported on this story, stating that the Ariel —the award that the women tried to keep Yalitza from being nominated for— is the most prestigious in Mexico.

Aparicio is the breakout star of Roma, and has become the first indigenous woman to be nominated for the Oscar’s in the category of Best Actress. Barro said that she thinks the AMCCA will not give in to such demands.

Aparicio has broken barriers for indigenous women in Mexico by appearing on the cover of Vogue Mexico, and speaking up on issues of representation. Recently she told Teen Vogue, “What I would like to see is for more of that diversity to be represented, for there to be more of those faces that you’d see and live with in your day-to-day. For example, for me, growing up, I never got to see people who looked like me or like any other people that I grew up with.”