Latino entertainers will convene this Friday for the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s 16th Annual Impact Awards Gala, an event that celebrates the positive portrayal of Latinos in the media.
NHMC’s President and CEO Alex Nogales said in a statement that this year’s gala—set to take place in Beverly Hills, California—will honor Latino actors, actresses and television hosts who are “beloved by millions of American fans, with particular appeal to the American Latino community.”
“You know something exciting is happening when Latinos get to play a broad array of roles ranging from evil queens to lawyers, and when Latinos are hosting major shows like Extra and X Factor,” Nogales added.
List of Impact Awards Gala honorees
Actor Michael Pena will be awarded the Outstanding Performance in a Motion Picture award for his role as Officer Zavala in the film End of Watch. EXTRA and X-Factor host Mario Lopez will receive the Outstanding Media Entrepreneur award for his long list of accomplishments in the media industry.
Three actresses will be awarded the Outstanding Performance in a Television Series award: Morena Baccarin for her performance in Showtime’s Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series Homeland; Lana Parrilla for her role in ABC’s Once Upon a Time; and television and film actress Gina Torres for her role in USA’s Suits.
Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo will be honored with the Outstanding Theatrical Performance award for his return to Broadway in his solo show Ghetto Klown.
Tony Hernandez, co-founder and executive producer of the Immigrant Archive Project, will receive the first-ever Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award. The award was created in remembrance of Ontiveros’ “relentless effort to always represent the Hispanic community at the highest level and standards,” according to NHMC.
Up to 400 of the most influential people who work to advance Latino talent on the big screen are expected to attend the Impact Awards Gala.
Cuban-American actor Tony Plana, best known for his role in Ugly Betty, and actress Aimee Garcia, who appears on the sitcom George Lopez and television drama series Dexter, will be the gala’s lead hosts.
Originally published on VOXXI as Impact Awards Gala hails positive portrayal of Latinos in the media
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