National Hispanic Cultural Center awarded $50,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to boost film programming

September 16th, 2021

ALBUQUERQUE – The National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) Foundation is excited to announce that it has received a grant in the amount of $50,000 from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to support the National Hispanic Cultural Center Community Film Program at the Bank of America Theatre. 

“The NHCC Foundation is incredibly grateful for the support from Bank of America,” said Executive Director Roberta Ricci. “In 2014, the Foundation was grateful to Bank of America for its naming of the 300-person theatre at the NHCC, as well as their support of the Paseo de Acequia project. Bank of America has been a tremendous partner and we are thrilled to have them support the film and programming that occurs in the Bank of America Theatre at the Center. This funding will significantly enhance the reach and quality of both the film programs and performances in that theater.”    

The NHCC’s 2021-2022 Community Film Series presented inside the Bank of America Theatre will run through June 23, 2022. According to a recent report by the University of Southern California Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Hispanic and Latinx actors made up only 4.9% of speaking characters in 1,300 popular films released 2007-2019. Further, of the 112 directors involved with the top 100 movies of 2019, only four were Hispanic/Latinx.  

This grant from Bank of America will fund the operating, capital, and programming costs associated with presenting films during the Community Film Series highlighting Hispanic and Latinx directors and actors. Screenings will encompass themed series and series coordinating with other events and exhibitions at the NHCC, such as films exploring historical events, films by women directors, films related to seasonal celebrations, and selected special previews, and include a wide variety of classic and contemporary Spanish, Mexican, and Latin American films.  

Film programming, like all programming at the NHCC, supports the Center’s mission to celebrate and strengthen the beauty, depth, and resilience of the human spirit through preserving, promoting, and advancing Hispanic/Latinx culture, arts, and humanities. In January 2014, the NHCC established the Bank of America Free Thursday Film Series, in conjunction with the purchase of a new state-of-the-art projector for the Bank of America Theatre. Films are shown free of charge on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, except on holidays. Additional films, some with admission fees, are shown on other dates as screening opportunities present themselves. Film industry personnel have come to recognize the Bank of America Theatre as a highly desirable venue for special screenings and premieres.  

Additionally, this grant will make it possible for the NHCC to secure screening rights for additional films and offer a greater diversity of programming, including:  

• Expanding programming for senior audiences by offering more daytime and weekend screenings as well as featuring films popular with thisaudience, such as Mexican films from the “Epocade Oro” (Golden Age) from the mid-1930s to early 1960s. 


• Screening films that explore themes of immigration and the history and culture of Afro-Latinos and Indigenous populations in Latin America.


• Bringing in filmmakers and directors for special screenings or the opening of selected series of films.


• Offering additional activities associated with each film, such as museum tours and musical performances, to add value to selected screenings.


• Expanding outreach to diverse communities acrossthe Albuquerquemetro area. 


• Acquiring industry-standard equipment that will facilitate successful, immersive film screenings in the Bank of America Theatre.