Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Gloria Estefan and more will appear in The Latin Explosion: A New America, a new HBO documentary exploring and celebrating the historical and cultural impact of Latino music and musicians in the United States.
Narrated by John Leguizamo, The Latin Explosion charts the history of Latin music in the United States as well as the greater cultural, political and economic impact of artists like Desi Arnaz in the Fifties, Carlos Santana in the Sixties, Emilio and Gloria Estefan in the Eighties, and Shakira, Lopez, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and Pitbull in the Nineties and beyond. The film will also feature interviews with Anthony, Martin, Jos Feliciano, Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Los Lobos, Cheech Marin, Rita Moreno, Romeo Santos, Thala and Sofa Vergara.
The doc premieres November 16th on HBO and HBO Latino, and was directed and produced by Matthew ONeill and Jon Alpert. The duo earned an Oscar nomination for their 2010 docChinas Unnatural Disasterabout the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Tommy Mottola the veteranmusic executive whos worked with Estefan, Lopez, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Carly Simon, Hall and Oatesand more served as the films executive producer.
We have assembled the largest array of Latino superstars ever in a film telling a powerful story of their history and immigration, politics, and rise from a small minority population to the most critical demographic in the United States, Mottola said in a statement. Latinos spend $1.3 trillion a year, making them one of the most powerful groups of consumers today. Latinos played a large part in the outcome of the last election and will certainly be a larger part in the upcoming 2016 election. There is no doubt in my mind that by 2025 we will have a Latino president.