It Was All in the <i> Familia</i>

The Scene: Limos and low-riders lined Sunset Boulevard on Thursday evening for the premiere of “My Family” at the Cinerama Dome with a post-screening party across the street in the Hollywood Mercedes-Benz showroom. A plush red carpet was laid across Sunset Boulevard to lead guests from the theater to the showroom. The film, a quasi-magical realist epic spanning three generations of a Mexican American family, marks the first Hollywood film with an entire Latino cast playing Latino roles. The event also served as a benefit celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Latino Communication Center (NLCC), a resource center dedicated to promoting Latino artists and culture in film and television.

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Who Was There: About 1,000 people sent up a bilingual buzz of chatter. Among them, the film’s writer/director Gregory Nava, writer/producer Anna Thomas and cast members Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, Eduardo Lopez Rojas, Jenny Gago, Constance Marie and Michael De Lorenzo. Also spotted in the crowd were Talisa Soto, Paul Rodriguez and Mark D. Espinoza.

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Quoted: “I think the spectrum of what a leading man is is a bit narrow,” said Morales. “It’s time that they widened it a bit. Throughout history, people who looked like me have done incredible things but you’ll never know it by looking at the movies today. One percent of us are represented and of that 1%, what percentage are in handcuffs or in chains, you know? It’s time that people got to know the Latino American family. We’re part of the big American family. We’ve been here long enough.”

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Chow: Interspersed with the gleaming ’95 Benzes in the showroom were buffet tables stocked with chicken in mole sauce, beef in light chipotle sauce, empanadas, refried beans, rice and Mexican candies--all donated by El Gallo Giro. The open bar also came as standard equipment.

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Entertainment: Joining the band Primo onstage for a version of “Angel Baby” were Rosie Hamill of Rosie and the Originals, who recorded the original version of the song, and Jeanette Jurado, who sang it in the movie.

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Most Questionable Logic: “When you have Siskel and Ebert making the accolades of what a great movie this is,” crowed City Councilman Richard Alatorre in a pre-screening round of award-giving, “you know it has to be great.”

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Money Matters: Tickets cost $100 a head. Altogether $110,000 in tickets and donations was collected for the NLCC.