Representation in Cinema

About Representation in Cinema

We discuss the representation of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in movies. We address the things that we love seeing, the tropes and stereotypes that Hollywood continues to perpetuate on screen, and what representation we'd like to see moving forward. You can listen to this podcast on any podcast platform!

Publisher

Our Voices Project LLC

Category

tv & film · tv & film · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

24 May 2022

Latest episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

52 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Oct 2026

   La Strada

   Hey pod and Happy Thursday! This is the 5th and final spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Film Series discussing the film, La Strada (1954). Directed by Federico Fellini, La Strada follows Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), a naïve young woman, who is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) to be his wife and partner. Throughout the film, she loyally endures her husband’s coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò. **Episode Correction: Anthony Quinn was born in Chihuahua, Mexico (so yes he was born in America, NOT the United States). Back on the podcast tonight is Curator of Film Exhibitions at The Dryden Theatre, Jared Case. Visit eastman.org/dryden-theatre (https://www.eastman.org/dryden-theatre) to find out about more series and talks coming up at Dryden Theater in Rochester, NY. Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, & Threads. Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more episodes every Thursday with old and newly released movies that center Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks, general movie news, and interviews with film festival programmers/curators, film critics, and filmmakers! Mentioned in this episode: Joe Bean Roasters Visit joebeanroasters.com to get fresh roasted specialty coffee either by the bag or with a Perpetual Joy subscription! Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

2. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Addams Family Values

   Hey pod and Happy Thursday! This is the 4th spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Film Series discussing the film, Addams Family Values (1993). Legendary Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia returns as Gomez, the patriarch of the Addams family. After being reunited with his brother Fester (Christopher Lloyd), Gomez and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) have a third child. They hire a nanny, Debbie (Joan Cusack), to care for the child and to keep his older siblings, Wednesday and Puggsly (Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman, respectively) from trying to murder him. Back on the podcast tonight to discuss the film is Cuban American educator and artist, Jason Barber and Curator of Film Exhibitions at The Dryden Theatre, Jared Case. We recommend watching Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/raul-julia-worlds-stage-documentary/12522/ (https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/raul-julia-worlds-stage-documentary/12522/) Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, & Threads. Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more spoiler specials from the ¡Presente! Latin Film Fest with La Strada, which will be screening at The George Eastman Museum on Wednesday, October 21 at 7:30pm. As a reminder, the screenings in this series are free and open to the public. This has been Jackie McGriff, your host for this episode of Representation in Cinema. As always, thank you again for listening! Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Representation in Cinema 03:57 The Cultural Impact of The Addams Family 06:51 Memorable Moments and Themes in Adam's Family Values 09:51 Character Analysis: Gomez and Morticia 12:51 Joan Cusack's Role and Performance 15:55 The Film's Cinematic Techniques 18:53 The Star-Studded Cast of Adam's Family Values 21:18 Raul Julia's Influence on Latin Representation 21:50 The Legacy of Raul Julia in Cinema 27:19 Cultural Identity and Representation 33:13 Influence of Latino Actors in Film 39:15 The Macabre in Latino Culture 43:05 Fellini and Anthony Quinn: A Cinematic Connection Mentioned in this episode: Joe Bean Roasters Visit joebeanroasters.com to get fresh roasted specialty coffee either by the bag or with a Perpetual Joy subscription! Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Zoot Suit

   Hey pod! Welcome to the third spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Cinematic Heritage Series (https://www.eastman.org/latin-cinematic-heritage) discussing the film, Zoot Suit (1981). Luis Valdez adapts his own stage production (the first Latin-American play on Broadway) into this striking film version. Edward James Olmos reprises his role from the stage as “El Pachuco,” the narrator of the film and the conscience of Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez, also reprising his role). Alternating between past and present and stage and screen, the film tells the story of Henry, arrested for murder the day before he is to report for duty in World War II. Browbeaten by the police, Henry’s case is forced through the system while El Pachuco shows the events leading up to the fatal confrontation. Inspired by the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the 1943 Zoot Suit riots, Valdez’s work explores the lives of Mexican-Americans in a society that would just as soon discard them. The film is based on the true story of Henry Leydas and the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial. PBS SoCal produced a segment, La River’s Hidden History Revealed. It features a group of artists through a grant in East LA about paying homage to the young people who were wrongly thrown in jail for a murder that has yet to be solved and about the resistance and resilience that resides amongst the people in Sleepy Lagoon: https://youtu.be/5qLvXxyNU7M?si=hD3Mfq-LJrCRn-6u (https://youtu.be/5qLvXxyNU7M?si=hD3Mfq-LJrCRn-6u) Back on the podcast tonight is Cuban American educator and artist, Jason Barber and Curator of Film Exhibitions at The Dryden Theatre, Jared Case. During our episode, we also mentioned American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez. We highly recommend that you watch this film to learn about the incredible director and activist behind the film, Luis Valdez. Many of the terms that we talked about are explained in great detail there and also how Luis got his start. You can watch it via PBS Passport here: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez/37507/ (https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez/37507/) Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, & Threads. Visit ourvoicesproject.com (http://www.ourvoicesproject.com/) and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more spoiler specials from the ¡Presente! Latin Film Fest with The Addams Family: Family Values, which will be screening at The George Eastman Museum on Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm. As a reminder, the screenings in this series are free and open to the public. Mentioned in this episode: Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement Common Thread Check out Common Thread on Lunchador! https://feeds.captivate.fm/common-threads-hardcore/

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

24,762

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

41

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

0

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.