Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Luciana Faulhaber
Luciana Faulhaber
Photo Courtesy of Andrea Feliu
In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the LGBTQ media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. Revry celebrates the spirit of the Latinx community during Hispanic Heritage Month and in this creator profile, we ask some additional questions in order to highlight the unique perspective of Latinx creators.
Luciana Faulhaber is a first generation Latinx Producer, Director and Actor. The first of her family to attend Graduate School she dedicated her time to combining her studies in International Development at Columbia University with her passion for filmmaking as a vehicle for shining a light on political issues with the goal of making a social impact. Founder "Enuff"(Enough) Productions with Javier E. Gomez, with the intent to create opportunities for people of color in front and behind the camera. Luciana has created projects that discuss immigration, racism and homelessness and is now developing a documentary based on the hit Broadway show addressing the issues of women's rights and sexual liberation, the civil rights movement and equality. She has also received accolades for her feature film directorial debut with "Don't Look," being nominated for Best Director (North Hollywood Film Festival & Crimson Screen), and Best Picture (Crimson Screen), winning six awards including the Spotlight Silver Award for Innovation in Independent Filmmaking.
Watch Luciana in THE INFLUENCERS on Revry.
What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time of remembrance and a celebration of the contributions of the Latinx community to the very fiber of the United States. It is also a reminder of the hardship that our community has been through, how far we have come, and how much work remains to be done in terms of pursuing equality, inclusion and representation. This is also a time of identity reflection and self-recognition, as the Latinx community is diverse like no other. We are diverse in appearance, where we come from, the language we speak, being a true melting pot. I celebrate this month as an opportunity to see our differences as an asset to come together and support each other for community betterment, going beyond Hispanic heritage to encompass all Latinx heritage. Luckily, I am not alone as this term continues to be used more and more by the mainstream. Power comes in numbers and when one grows we all grow.
What kind of stories do you feel still need to be highlighted for the queer Latinx community?
We are still the most underrepresented ethnic group even though we are the largest minority in the US population. Our financial purchase power continues to grow, as it is estimated to be comparable to that of a small country even though as Latinas we are still getting less than .50 cents of the white man's dollars. It is time we are no longer represented on screen as the drug dealers, maids, gardeners, or "baby mama's". We as a community are more educated than ever. I want the stories of the lawyers who have accents and put themselves through school, the people who were the first doctor in their families, the kids who get to be part of our American Dream. Continuing to portray the Latinx community only in stories of hardship is in itself a form of oppression. It's time we are portrayed as we are and for whom we are becoming.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
This one is always a tough one because you can't go back in time but my advice to the younger generation is to work hard, know who your friends are, and walk away from that which doesn't represent who you are. That's a hard one to do because we all just want an opportunity but I learned to look at things in a way that no matter how good it is now, the best is yet to come. So keep going.