Antonio Banderas Speaks Out on the Need for Latino Unity and How the U.S. Facilitates It
Posted on Mar 26, 2016 by Trevor in Misc, Politics
Antonio Banderas (a.k.a. Puss in Boots, El Zorro, the bee in Nasonex TV ads…) received a Platino Award last year in a ceremony in Marbella, Spain. The actor took the chance to call for more Latino unity across Spanish-speaking countries as well as to recognize that the United States is where he has ironically seen the Latino best come together. I’ve translated his speech here.
From my beloved city of Málaga—and being Phoenician, Muslim, Roman, and Picassoan through my father, and Zambrano through my mother—I send a greeting to all the Latino people with whom I am connected not only by language, but by our shared desire to dream, and to dream via the art of motion pictures: that which we call “cinema”.
Whether I want it or not, I must acknowledge that receiving an award brings with it a mountain of vain temptations that must be fought much like Don Quixote fought against the windmills—or giants—from La Mancha. And even though I was borne in Andalusian land, in Málaga—a place that for me is a dream come true—I have always identified with that sad gentleman’s foolish craziness, irrepressible yearnings, and call to adventure.
Today I am as pleased and excited to accept this recognition—which I appreciate from the bottom of my heart—as I am to receive so many talented friends into my Malacitano homeland, which I hope opens its doors to you and treats you with the same affection with which I have been treated in each one of the Latino countries in which I had the luck of working.
Seven films in Mexico, three in Argentina, one in Venezuela, one in Chile, one in Colombia, and one in Puerto Rico, in which I manged to share a way of making movies and a way of understanding life with teams of great professionals.
But the great change still has not been accomplished. The great leap has not been taken. It was in reality in the United States, it must be acknowledged, where little by little Hispanic talent has been given opportunities, and some of those who find ourselves here are beneficiaries of that. It’s over there, I say again, where I came to comprehend the true measurement, the unquestionable potential and uncontainable strength of the Latino essence.
In that place—despite the insane and absolutely reproachable desire of [insert name of the idiotic racist circus barker guy running for president] to kick us on the behinds—a melting pot of communities that speak the tongue of Cervantes gather together. And they don’t just enrich the cultural life of the country, rather they contribute values founded in their own dignity, hard work, sacrifice, and strong taste of finding themselves united against no one.
Indeed, without confrontations, with open hearts, with curiosity as our creed, and with the clear idea that even though we all love our countries of origin, we can, without a doubt, embrace the our Latino essence and the pride of being Hispanic.
I think that these Premios Platino are a platform to initiate a journey that helps us strengthen the respect that Latino cinematography has acquired, that allows us to reclaim our language in the productions and that makes us strong enough to compete in equal conditions. Nothing more and nothing less.
Nobody values us if we don’t value ourselves.
I will finish with Cervantes and his Don Quixote, who with his day-dreamer’s mind and in moments of lucidity said:
As you aren’t experienced in the things of the world, all things that have some difficulty will seem impossible to you. Trust time; it usually provides a sweet way out of many bitter challenges.
Thank you.
