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Demian Bichir Nominated as Best Actor for Portrayal of Undocumented Immigrant in “A Better Life”

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As usual, there’s plenty of politics-related immigration news today — and we’ll get to it. But first, we want to take note of some entertainment news on the immigration front today: An Oscar nomination. Demian Bichir was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of an undocumented immigrant in “A Better Life,” which was directed by Chris Weitz. From US Weekly Magazine:

Demian Bichir, however, is this year’s dark horse. Though the 48-year-old actor may not yet be a household name in the United States, the Mexican star has been working steadily since the age of 14.

“I’m overwhelmed for having my name among those incredible actors,” Bichir, who stars in A Better Life, tells Us Weekly in a statement. “This could have never happened if [Academy Award winning director and immigration reform activist] Chris Weitz had not been the head of this film. He is my brother and I thank him deeply.” 

Bichir’s nomination may come as a shock, given that he wasn’t recognized at the Golden Globes or the Critics’ Choice Awards. As a result, several other stars — including Shame‘s Michael Fassbender and The Ides of March‘s Ryan Gosling — were surprisingly snubbed.

“Hopefully more and more people will jump into iTunes and Netflix to see our film,” Bichir tells Us. “That will be the biggest reward we could get. I dedicate this nomination to those 11 million human beings who make our lives easier and better in the U.S.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Chris’ work, the director is well-known for his mega-hit movies, Twilight: New Moon, The Golden Compass, and About A Boy. His movie, “A Better Life”, is about an undocumented father (played by Demian Bichir) as he labors hard and long hours as a gardener in LA to keep his son off the streets.

Congrats to Demian and Chris, who show in this touching film that 11 million human beings do makes our lives easier and better in the U.S., and we need to keep working to make their lives better.

Here’s the trailer for “A Better Life”: