Acapulco Dominates Imagen Awards; Andy Garcia Honored with Lifetime Achievement

The Imagen Foundation has unveiled the nominations for its 41st Annual Imagen Awards, an esteemed event dedicated to celebrating Latino talent and creative contributions across film, television, documentaries, digital media, and music. Apple TV’s acclaimed series “Acapulco” emerged as a leading contender, securing an impressive 13 nominations in various categories.

In addition to the competitive awards, the Imagen Foundation announced several special honors. Actor, filmmaker, producer, and musician Andy Garcia will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his significant career. Garcia also received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Drama for his role in “Landman.” The creators of “Acapulco” and Apple TV are slated to receive the Creative Achievement Award, while Los Angeles County First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis will be honored with the President’s Award for her distinguished public service and unwavering commitment to advancing opportunities and representation for Latino communities.

This year’s Imagen Awards will feature 25 categories, yet Imagen Foundation founder and president Helen Hernandez pointed out a critical issue: a noticeable absence of submissions for director, lead, and supporting performers in film. Hernandez emphasized that this highlights a persistent lack of Latino representation on screen within the entertainment industry. In her statement, Hernandez affirmed the diversity of this year’s television, documentary, independent production, digital media, and music nominees, but stressed, “However, we cannot ignore the continued lack of Latino representation in media and the fact that we are unable to present awards in the film categories Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting due to a lack of submissions. This should concern our entire industry. As a business, Latinos are a $3 trillion audience, and by overlooking the value of our community, it directly affects the economic health and longevity of the entertainment industry.”

The 41st Imagen Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 21, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. A comprehensive list of nominees across various categories includes:

FEATURE FILM:

• Best Feature Film: “Belén” (Amazon MGM Studios, K&S Films), “Brownsville Bred” (Del Valle Productions and Brownsville Bred LLC), “Miles Away” (Cue Shot Productions).
• Best Actress: America Ferrera, “The Lost Bus”; Dolores Fonzi, “Belén”; Zoe Saldaña, “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; Yvette Yates Redick, “Lost & Found in Cleveland.”

MUSIC:

• Best Music Composition for Film or Television: Federico Jusid, “The Night Manager”; Carlos Rafael Rivera & David Stal, “Hacks”; Tomas Videla, “The House of the Spirits.”
• Best Music Supervision for Film or Television: Holly Gregory, “Dora”; Paulina Márquez, “The Night Manager”; Javier Nuño & Joe Rodríguez, “Acapulco.”

TELEVISION:

• Best Drama Series: “9-1-1,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Pluribus,” “Will Trent.”
• Best Comedy Series: “Acapulco,” “Twisted Metal,” “Scrubs.”
• Best Special or Television Movie: “Blacktinidad,” “Color Theories by Julio Torres,” “Frankie Quiñones: Damn That’s Crazy,” “Marcello Hernández: American Boy,” “Ralph Barbosa: Planet Bosa.”
• Best Director: Oscar Almengor (“Acapulco”), Miguel Arteta (“The Morning Show”), Janicza Bravo (“The Bear”), Victor Gonzalez (“Wizards Beyond Waverly Place”), Santiago Limon (“Acapulco”), Dailyn Rodriguez (“The Lincoln Lawyer”).
• Best Actor – Drama: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (“The Lincoln Lawyer”), Ramón Rodríguez (“Will Trent”), Wilmer Valderama (“NCIS”).
• Best Actress – Drama: Melissa Barrera (“The Copenhagen Test”), Keana Lyn Bastidas (“A Husband To Die For: The Lisa Aguilar Story”), Natalia del Riego (“The Abandons”), Genesis Rodriguez (“The Night Agent”), Amirah Vann (“Doc”).
• Best Supporting Actor – Drama: Andy Garcia (“Landman”), Coleman Domingo (“Euphoria”), Brandon Larracuente (“Chicago Fire”), Gabriel Luna (“Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy”), Michael Peña (“All Her Fault”), Carlos-Manuel Vesga (“Pluribus”), David Zayas (“Dexter: Resurrection”).
• Best Supporting Actress – Drama: Alana De La Garza (“FBI”), Juani Feliz (“9-1-1: Nashville”), Arienne Mandi (“Chicago P.D.”), Lana Parilla (“The Rainmaker”), Rosalía (“Euphoria”), Lily Santiago (“Untamed”), Karla Souza (“56 Days”).
• Best Actor – Comedy: Enrique Arrizon (“Acapulco”), Stephanie Beatriz (“Twisted Metal”), Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”), Camila Perez (“Acapulco”).
• Best Supporting Actor – Comedy: Eugenio Derbez (“Acapulco”), Nestor Carbonell (“The Morning Show”), Fernando Carsa (“Acapulco”), Carlos Corona (“Acapulco”), Peter Dager (“Stick”), Cristo Fernandez (“Acapulco”).
• Best Supporting Actress – Comedy: Rose Abdoo (“Hacks”), Vanesa Bauche (“Acapulco”), Aimee Carrero (“Your Friends & Neighbors”), Isabella Gomez (“Shrinking”), Keyla Monterroso Mejia (“Acapulco”), Mariana Treviño (“Stick”).
• Best Young Actor: Logan Alarcon-Poucel (“Alma’s Way”), Arian S. Cartaya (“IT: Welcome to Derry”), Carmen Sanchez (“Electric Bloom”).
• Best Voice-Over Actor: Stephanie Beatriz (“Hazbin Hotel”), Harvey Guillén (“Shape Island”), Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (“Hazbin Hotel”), Daphne Rubin-Vega (“Hazbin Hotel”).
• Best Variety or Reality Show: “Amazon Music Presents “No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí: Una Más,” “Chiquis Sin Filtro,” “Desmadre Live!,” “Leguizamo Does America Season 2.”
• Best Youth Programming: “Cyberchase,” “Rosie’s Rules,” “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” “Wonder Pets: In the City,” “WondLa.”
• Best Documentary: “Critical Incident: Death at the Border,” “P.O.V: Igualada: Refusing to Know Your Place,” “P.O.V: The Age of Water,” “Selena y Los Dinos,” “VOCES American Sons.”
• Best Informational Program: “Daddy Yankee: A Higher Note,” “ABC News Live – Last Lands: Guatemala,” “Karina Tovar,” “Latinos On Broadway: Rooted in Culture. Rising on Stage.”
• Best Short Film: “Enseñame Como Morir,” “Hangtown,” “Las Cosas Que Brillan,” “Roxy & The Man,” “The Apricot,” “The Birthday Gift.”
• Best Student Film: “In The Still Of The Night,” “Last Words,” “¡Que Suene La Banda!,” “Train Stop.”
• Best Podcast: “Energis,” “Say What You Mean.”
• Best Online Creator: Jesus Nalgas (@jesusnalgas), Phaith Montoya (@phaithmontoya).