Brandt Ranj

This weekend goes out to the Latinos in a major way. Seriously, all five of the movies we’re highlighting this weekend were made by, for, about or in collaboration with at least one notable Latino celebrity. In most cases, though, it’s a lot more. We have a documentary about one of the greatest Mexican guitarists of all time, a biopic about a hugely influential Mexican wrestler, and the fifth installment […]

27-year-old experimental alt-rapper-and-singer, Jean Dawson, is what you would think of as a misfit in music. David Sanders — more widely known as Jean — was raised in a blended household with Mexican and Black parents who treasured underground hip hop and rejected the way the world pummeled the dreams of those who look like Jean. “I’m Mexican and Black and my reality was really informed by the way the […]

Jhayco is a modern day rock star. While redefining the sound of reggaeton, the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has amassed multiple global hits. Following his monster smash “Holanda” and to close out the summer, Jhayco celebrated the release of his new single “Ex-Special” featuring Peso Pluma with CÎROC Vodka Spritz. He is truly living in his “Vida Rockstar” era. “Just being here, doing my work, doing the best I can, and […]

Despite their mercifully short titles, this weekend’s high-profile releases are kind of a big deal. On one end you have a relatively obscure DC hero, Blue Beetle, making his big-screen debut with an all-Latino cast. On the other, we’ve got an R-rated “animated” comedy with a name brand cast that includes Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx as stray dogs enduring a journey that splits the difference between “The Hangover” and […]

This summer, the Bay Area art scene is replete with many “firsts.” With great joy, Chicana pioneering artists Yolanda López, Amelia Mesa-Bains and Juana Alicia get long-overdue solo exhibitions. Friends and artists, Mario Ayala, rafa esparza, and Guadalupe Rosales will unveil collaborative new works. Patrick Martinez paints his first mural on the ground floor of a basketball community court, and Paola De La Calle seeks inspiration from poetry. These artists […]

It’s Oscars season, which means some of the best and the brightest talents in cinema will be recognized for their work on one of film’s top stages. While the awards have been plagued with backlash due to their lack of diversity, leading to movements likes #OscarsSoWhite, it is still one of the most coveted prizes in the field and an important marker of success. Here we will dive into the […]

From Mexico to Chile, films centered on queer narratives have had a long and complicated journey into mainstream cinema. Censorships, politics and prejudice are all obstacles for the the genre, particularly in Latin America, where LGBTQ+ individuals are largely underrepresented in all media. In this list, we’ve selected six films that highlight the queer experience in Latin communities and how Latin America’s political and societal divisions play into these experiences. […]