‘Encanto’ Co-Director Shocked by Best Director Win Over Steven Spielberg at 2022 Imagen Awards: ‘That’s Serious Bragging Rights’

“Encanto” swept the 37th annual Imagen Awards, which was held Sunday at Downtown Los Angeles’ La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, but the Disney musical movie was closely matched by several wins from Hulu’s “Love, Victor.”

Overall, “Encanto” creators took home the most awards of any nominated project and were recognized for Best Feature Film, Best Music Composition for Film or Television, Best Music Supervision for Film or Television and Best Director – Feature Film, which co-director Charise Castro Smith was not expecting.

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“I’m pretty sure my mom is never going to live down the fact that I won a best director award when nominated against Stephen Spielberg,” Castro Smith, who is also known for producing “The Haunting of Hill House,” joked with the audience during her acceptance speech. “That’s serious bragging rights for her Zumba class.”

The film’s magical soundscape was crafted by composers Lin-Manuel Miranda and Germaine Franco and supervised by Tom MacDougall to pay homage to the distinct musical styles of Latin America. The album has rigidly remained on the Billboard charts since its release, selling over 1 million copies.

“With a little luck, we’re going to duke it out with Bad Bunny and win Best Album of the Year,” Tom MacDougall told the audience after winning Best Music Supervision for Film or Television, a recognition he earned for his work on “Encanto.”

Each year, the gala serves to recognize exceptional Latino talent in Hollywood both onscreen and behind the scenes, as per the Imagen Foundation’s original intent in 1985. What began as selecting a singular award recipient evolved into sifting through hundreds of submissions to choose 25 lucky winners — one for each of the ceremony’s eclectic categories.

And what better place to celebrate Latino art and culture than just off of Olvera Street in what is considered one of the oldest pieces of the city. Papel picado, colorful sheets of intricately cut tissue paper, hangs above the streets; the sharp blare of a trumpet wails in response to an acoustic guitar at a live mariachi performance — the marketplace is abuzz with life and rich in history, operating as a major enclave for L.A.’s Mexican community.

“When it comes to awards, often our shows, our crews, our cast are not always acknowledged by the mainstream, and I think they deserve to be,” Linda Yvette Chavez, co-director of the Netflix show “Gentefied,” told Variety. “So for us to build our own table, to have our own award show is so vital and important. These awards mean the most to me, because my own people are letting me know they’re proud of me, they’re proud of the work we did, and it affected them.”

Trophies aside, the red carpet provided ample opportunity for creators to talk about their upcoming projects, of which there are no shortage throughout the holiday months. One highlight was a reveal from “Acapulco” co-creators Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Schuman about what fans of the series can expect from the Apple TV+ show’s upcoming second season.

“They’re going to scold us if we give too many spoilers, but it’s funnier, it has more twists and turns, we’re challenging our characters a little bit more, and we’re definitely also going to deliver on some promises from Season 1,” Cisneros told Variety as Schuman chimed in with affirmation.

“It’s a lot more emotional, especially the second half of the season. If you don’t cry for some of the triumphs and losses, then I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” Schuman added.

Below is the complete winners list of the 2022 Imagen Awards:

Best Feature Film
“Encanto” (Disney+; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best Director – Feature Film
Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith, “Encanto” (Disney+; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best Actor – Feature Film
Eugenio Derbez, “CODA” (Apple TV+; Vendome Pictures / Pathé in association with Apple)

Best Actress – Feature Film
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” (Walt Disney Studios)

Best Primetime Program – Drama
“Selena: The Series” (Netflix; A Campanario Entertainment Production for Netflix)

Best Primetime Program – Comedy
“Love, Victor” (Hulu; 20thTelevision)

Best Primetime Program – Special or Movie
“Book of Love” (Prime Video; Amazon Studios)

Best Director – Television
Jorge R. Gutierrez, “Maya and the Three” (Netflix)

Best Actor – Drama (Television)
Oscar Isaac, “Scenes From a Marriage” (HBO/HBO Max; HBO in association with Sheleg, Media Res, Endeavor Content and Filmlance)

Best Actress – Drama (Television)
Judy Reyes, “Torn From Her Arms” (Lifetime; OZY Media and Motion Picture Corporation of America)

Best Actor – Comedy (Television)
Michael Cimino, “Love, Victor” (Hulu; 20th Television)

Best Actress – Comedy (Television)
Victoria Moroles, “Plan B” (Hulu; Counterbalance Entertainment, American High, LD Entertainment)

Best Supporting Actor – Drama (Television)
Clayton Cardenas, “Mayans M.C.” (FX; 20th Television and FX Productions

Best Supporting Actress – Drama (Television)
Rosario Dawson, “Dopesick” (Hulu; Danny Strong Productions, John Goldwyn Productions, The Littlefield Company, 20th Television)

Best Supporting Actor – Comedy (Television)
Harvey Guillén, “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX; FX Productions)

Best Supporting Actress – Comedy (Television)
Melissa Fumero, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (NBC; Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Fremulon, Dr. Goor Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment)

Best Young Actor (Television)
Nik Sanchez, “Safe Room” (Lifetime; Astute Films for Lifetime)

Best Voice-Over Actor (Television)
Summer Rose Castillo, “Alma’s Way” (PBS KIDS; Fred Rogers Productions, Pipeline Studios)

Best Variety or Reality Show
“We’re Here” (HBO/HBO Max; HBO in association with House of Opus 20 and IPC)

Best Youth Programming
“Alma’s Way” (PBS KIDS; Fred Rogers Productions, Pipeline Studios)

Best Music Composition for Film or Television
Lin-Manuel Miranda & Germaine Franco, “Encanto” (Disney+; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best Music Supervision for Film or Television
Tom MacDougall, “Encanto” (Disney+; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best Documentary
“VOCES: American Exile” (PBS; Burning Box Studio, WKAR Public Media/East Lansing, and Latino Public Broadcasting)

Best Informational Program
“SC Featured: KIKIMITA – The Hansel Emmanuel Donato Story” (ESPN)

Best Short Film
“American Masters and VOCES: Lights, Camera, Acción” (PBS; NGL Studios, Latino Public Broadcasting, and American Masters Pictures)

Best Commercial Advertisement or Social Awareness Campaign
“Nuestras Niñas, Las Mujeres Imparables del Futuro” (NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises; GYB/Kreative Kontent)

For a list of the winners from the 2022 Imagen Awards, pop open a bottle of tequila and read below:

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