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Brown Is The New Green

Film Background
| Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream is a 2007 documentary directed and produced by Phillip Rodriguez. Starring George Lopez life and his behind-the-scenes career as a Latino in the U.S. mainstream media. It is the first hour of a four-hour PBS documentary series. This film explores how the U.S. media and markers are shaping America’s perception of Latinos and the ideals of the "American Dream."

Development
| Phillip Rodriguez is a filmmaker and Senior Fellow for Documentary Filmmaking at the Institute for Justice and Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an M.A. in Latin American Studies and an M.F.A. in Film and Television from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the founder of [| City Projects]. The organization City Projects is dedicated to create sustainable programs that educate and entertain the current diverse audiences. Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream, is a one hour documentary featuring George Lopez. It is the first hour of part one of four-hour PBS documentary series, Latinos: Here & Now. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California and produced by Phillip Rodriguez. It was broadcasted September 12, 2007 on PBS three days before the Hispanic Heritage month. This documentary presents a Latino actor, George Lopez, who uses entertainment to normalize the appearance of the Latino image. It gives the behind-the-scenes life and career of a Latino actor. In the film he is presented as the ideal example of the "American Dream," as he is representing Latinos through mainstream media. The main audiences for this documentary are Latinos and people that are interested in the changing perceptions of Latinos in the media.

Casting
George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He used his stand-up comedy to examine race and ethnic relations, such as Mexican American culture. Lopez, a Mexican-American, reveals stereotypes that are present in Latino communities. He discusses the portrayal of Latinos in the television. Other Latinos interviewed, to provide their perspectives on Latinos and the media, included Advertising Executive of La Agencia (Hispanic Advertising Agency) [| Hector Orcí]. Comedian and actor Bill Dana ( also known for playing a Mexican character "Jose Jimenez"). Anthropology professor and author Arlene Dávila. Media activist and CEO of NHMC Alex Nogales. Producer of the George Lopez Show Bruce Helford.

Synopsis
Phillip Rodriguez uses [| Brown is the New Green] to examine how media and marketers shape America's perception of Latinos. The Latino image is stage-managed by marketers and media companies. Mainstream media has ignored Latinos while Spanish-language networks and commercial ads have exocitized the Latino image. George Lopez, an American comedian, actor, and talk show host is filmed in behind-the-scene footage to show his life and career. Lopez normalizes the image of Latinos in the United States through entertainment and aims to represent Latinos in a manner in which is true to their realities and their aspirations. Lopez advocates for Latinos’ to move into the mainstream media. Many concepts arise from this film such as family, assimilation, language, stereotypes, and culture in the media. These factors can shape the identity of Latinos. The connection between George Lopez and the Latino audience creates a collective identity and it shares a sense of belonging. Lopez explains how some Latino identities are being shaped through stereotypes that are now present in the Latino communities through mainstream media. In the film the Latino culture is shown and represented by Latinos actors. This film portrays how the media is changing the way family members interact with each other. The film provides ideas as to what is Latino authenticity and how it influences Latinos in their everyday lives. This film also focused on the Latino image and the stereotypical roles Latinos are presenting in the U.S. media.

Ratings
The average rating for this film was 4.5/5 with 23 user ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. On Internet Movie Database (IMDb) it received an average rating of 5.9/10 from 8 user ratings.

Nominated
In 2008 Brown Is The New Green was nominated for the Alma Award.

Won
This film won the Imagen Award for The Best Documentary in the television category. The award was given by the Imagen Foundation, for "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry."