BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — An ambitious PBS documentary on the 500-year history of Latinos in America is aimed at a broad audience, its producer said Wednesday.
"These stories are not that distant from anyone. I think in some ways we share similar experiences no matter where we come from," and whether people are immigrants or not, "American Latinos" producer Adriana Bosch told a meeting of the Television Critics Association.
Featuring familiar faces such as Oscar-winning actress Rita Moreno and journalist Ray Suarez was part of enhancing the film's appeal, Bosch said. Actor Benjamin Bratt is the narrator.
The three-part, six-hour documentary debuting in September includes interviews with Dolores Huerta, co-founder of a group that was the forerunner to the United Farm Workers of America; writer and commentator and Linda Chavez; and musician Gloria Estefan.
Bratt, whose mother emigrated from Peru as a teenager, said Latinos have not historically been seen as part of the American story.
"American history always is from a Eurocentric point of view, and the real American history is so much richer than that," Bratt said during a panel discussion. "Even in 2013, we are still seen as the mysterious, exotic 'other,' even though we are as American as anyone else."
Asked about the rarity of Hispanics on U.S. television despite Latino population growth and the "browning" of America, Suarez said commerce is part of the solution.
Businesses want to reach consumers without regard to ethnicity or language, he said, suggesting it's a trend Americans in general should get used to.