For as long as the industry has been alive, films have always mirrored society, people, and trends, but often, that reflection has been distorted. Cultures have been stereotyped as background characters, accents, or jokes within films for decades. Now, new filmmakers bring these real experiences to the surface, and cinema is beginning to reflect the true essence of these cultures.

Diversity and cultural representation are constantly evolving and transforming filmmaking. The exploration of diversity and culture has enriched audiences and challenged the industry by creating and expressing more vibrant cinema.

From the beginning of filmmaking, Hollywood has always been a very tight-knit industry that was hard to walk into as an actor. Fitting into their niche world with media-trained personalities and stereotyped roles, it’s not surprising that directors themselves were participating in these misleading portrayals.

“Actors of color were frequently relegated to supporting roles or caricatures, while women were often confined to limited, one-dimensional parts. Behind the camera, directorial and production roles were overwhelmingly dominated by white men,” states Flimustage.

Hollywood, built on a platform dominated by white men, has dictated diversity and cultural stereotypes in a backwards manner, instead of evolving forward. With people not being able to tell their story and films often representing cultures wrong, their identities become stereotypes and cause discrimination as people of these cultures grow up on films that don’t represent their true heritage but instead create comedic humor that downgrades the truth.

Hollywood not being the only source of invalid stereotypes on cultures proves how films are stuck in a box surrounded by societal standards, white dominance, male superiority, and discriminatory jokes.

“We’re seeing that there’s not just a diversity problem in Hollywood; there’s actually an inclusion crisis,” Stacy L. Smith expressed to NPR. Hollywood is the center of the movie industry and is directly driving these diversity and inclusion problems which then sets a negative standard for the rest of the industry’s filmmakers.

The differences in inclusion in these popular movies create the stereotypical “Hollywood” look that every movie seems to portray in some sense. Movies are a symbol that conveys messages of emotions, real-world events, and characters that all help the audience feel connected. Without any diversity and inclusion, that connection dies to those who are omitted.

Even with modern film still dealing with discrimination, the very first realization of a needed switch starts with the industry’s idea to make a change during the civil rights movement after realizing what went wrong . That’s where audiences can see filmmakers begin to address racial issues within their films. “Pioneering directors like Spike Lee and John Singleton emerged in the 1980s and 90s, bringing authentic black experiences to mainstream cinema,” Filmustage shares.

With modern societal expectations for representation and diversity to be mandatory within films, audiences can see the industry improve this issue. One example of a culturally significant movie that has transformed the roles of Mexican Heritage is the movie Coco. Coco has been seen as a symbol of how cultural representation is improving, specifically diving into American Mexican Heritage. The movie Coco is about a boy named Miguel who loves music, but his family forbids it. He travels to the Land of the Dead to learn about his ancestors and the importance of remembering family.

Music within this film is such a powerful symbol of Mexican history, and the film’s blend of English and Spanish creates that real authenticity to represent such stories. The audience gets engaged with the vibrant colors and characters that all symbolize the little details that make Mexican culture so special.

“This film centers around a Mexican protagonist engaging with Mexican customs, which the filmmakers want to depict authentically and accurately. At the same time, Coco aims to appeal to an American audience, a paradigm that some have argued is impossible,” sceneandheardnu.com expressed.

With the film industry constantly evolving as life keeps moving, we see a change in how cultural representation and diversity are being woven into films more than ever. With new information on these topics, films can start to emerge from the stereotyped narrative and become open to new perspectives.

Representation deserves to be included appropriately within films, and directors have the passion to share others’ stories and real-life experiences. By doing so, authenticity is shared on screen and inspires audiences to share and understand the beauty in every culture.