The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) was founded in 2018 with a commitment to uplifting and celebrating the Latino voices in entertainment.

LEJA primarily focuses on entertainment from the United States, monitoring members of the entertainment industry in film, television, the arts, theater, and music. 

The association amplifies the voices of artists who identify as Latino, Latina, Latinx, Hispanic, Afro-Latino, Afro-Latina, Spanish, Latin@, or “any inclusive and progressive description that champions and accelerates the voices of our culture from around the world.”

The association announced nominations for the 2022 LEJA Awards late in February, and revealed the winners earlier this week.

Overall, The Power of the Dog won top honors from LEJA. The Jane Campion-directed Western  won for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing.

Encanto and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story also received considerable attention from the association this year. 

Ariana DeBose won an award for her supporting role in West Side Story while the film ranked highly with 13 total nominations.

Lin-Manuel Miranda received the most individual nominations, partly for his work on Tick, Tick… Boom!, a biographical reimagining of Jonathon Larson's unfinished one-man show.

Miranda was also recognized for his voice work on Vivo and songwriting in Encanto. The multi-hyphenate was also awarded the Latino Activism Award.

West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler won the Latino Breakout Award, while industry vet John Leguizamo was given the 2022 Rita Moreno Lifetime Achievement as recognition for his far-reaching work in entertainment.

The LEJA Awards has 23 categories. Winners for each category included:

• Best Picture: The Power of the Dog 
• Best Director: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog 
• Best Actor in a Leading Role: Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick … Boom! 
• Best Actress in a Leading Role: Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers 
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Troy Kotsur, CODA 
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story 
• Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance: Stephanie Beatriz, Encanto 
• Best Animated Film: Encanto
• Best Foreign Language Film: Parallel Mothers (Spain) 
• Best Documentary Film: Flee 
• Best Original Screenplay: C’mon C’mon
• Best Adapted Screenplay: The Power of the Dog 
• Best Ensemble Casting: In the Heights 
• Best Production and Set Design: Dune 
• Best Cinematography: Dune 
• Best Costume Design: Cruella 
• Best Editing: The Power of the Dog 
• Best Hair and Makeup: Cruella 
• Best Sound Design: Dune
• Best Visual Effects: Dune
• Best Musical Score: Encanto 
• Best Stunt Design: No Time to Die 
• Best Song Written for a Film: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto

LEJA offers a membership application, opening every July 1 and closing every July 31.