AUSTIN, Texas — According to a report from Axios, Latines make up just 5.2% of lead actors and 5.1% of co-lead and ensemble actors. Behind the camera, the disparity grows. Only 3.5% of screenwriters and 2.6% of directors are Latine. “Flamin’ Hot” changes this status quo with their story, one their screenwriter calls a “superhero film” about a Mexican American man from California who, despite adversity, never stopped following his dream.

The highly anticipated “Flamin’ Hot” movie premiered at the Paramount Theater at SXSW on Saturday, March 11, 2023. The film follows the story of Richard Montañez, a former janitor at Frito Lay whose claim to fame is being the inventor of the beloved spicy snack that is now a global sensation.

The story takes us on a trip through Montañez’ life, from when he was a kid picking grapes at a migrant labor camp in Guasti, California, to landing a job as a janitor at a Frito Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga — a job that would end up changing his life forever.

Texas-born Eva Longoria adds to her directorial repertoire with the inspirational film. In her speech before the film’s debut, Longoria emphasized that “who tells these stories matters.” Unlike many films in Hollywood, "Flamin' Hot" features a mainly Latine cast, a very rare feat, and one that screenwriter Linda Yvette Chavez says is thanks in part to Longoria and producer DeVon Franklin.

"We have absolutely fearless leaders in both Eva Longoria and DeVon Franklin, our producer. They are bulldogs who would stop at nothing to see Richard's story told....from what Eva and DeVon tell me, it's the script that I wrote that brought us that greenlight. But that was only possible with their leadership and the work they did to keep that greenlight going and going and going, and brought us to this day here," Chavez said.

Having to drop out of school to get into the workforce and start providing for his family, Richard didn’t have a high school diploma, but he had grit and determination.

It’s a story that hits close to home for many Latines, including Chavez. She was wrapping up post-production on the first season of her series “Gentefied” when she was introduced to Montañez and his story.

“Hearing the details of [Richard and Judy’s] journey, I kept thinking, ‘Goodness, people have no idea what this Brown man went through to make a damn Cheeto spicy!’ Looking at Richard, I saw my father, my brothers, my cousins — all of the men in my life who had persevered in a country that often rejected them, criminalized them and did whatever they could to make them feel less worthy.” Chavez said. “Who I saw before me was a man just like them who became a hero. A hero to his family, a hero to his community, a hero to an industry, and who I felt in my bones would become a hero and inspiration to not only all of the boys and men who look just like him, but the world entirely.”

As a trailblazer for Latinas in film, Chavez knows what projects like this mean for her community.

“Projects like these mean hope. I experienced at the premiere of the film what I experienced when my series 'Gentefied' dropped: an energy, a swell, a connection, an otherworldly force that happens when you see yourself on screen depicted with pure authenticity and love.” Chavez said. “It changes you on a deep level. It's what I think I've been searching to do my whole life because it's the feeling I was always missing. I can't explain it, but I see my people and I'm in love.”

Chavez’ own Latinidad being at the forefront of her writing is what made her perfect for this project. She knows what other Latines want to see on the screen, and that’s themselves and their own unique life experiences. Not as comedic relief or side characters, but as everyday heroes.

“I see this film not so much as a film about Cheetos, but as a story of a man who did something epic. A superhero film…I said to myself, ‘I'm writing a superhero film.’ That may not be how anyone else saw it, but that's how I wrote it.”

If you missed the premiere, don’t worry. You can watch “Flamin’ Hot” with a Hulu subscription starting June 9, 2023.