The Latino List Debuts On HBO Latino

HBO presents a unique glimpse into the vibrant and burgeoning culture of Hispanic America through a series of highly personal video portraits of Latinos who have richly contributed to the fabric of contemporary society. Funny, poignant and irreverent, THE LATINO LIST illuminates the Latino experience today, at a time when the Latino population in the U.S. is booming, when it debuts WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO Latino, and THURSDAY, SEPT. 29 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) on the main HBO channel in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Other HBO Latino playdates: Sept. 29 (8:00 p.m.) and Oct. 2 (4:00 p.m.), 4 (7:30 a.m., 10:30 p.m.), 9 (11:45 a.m.), 10 (1:30 p.m.), 15 (10:00 a.m.) and 18 (12:30 a.m.)

Other HBO playdates: Oct. 2 (4:00 p.m.), 4 (7:30 a.m., 10:30 p.m.), 10 (1:30 p.m.), 15 (10:00 a.m.) and 18 (12:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Oct. 9 (6:00 a.m.), 17 (8:00 a.m.), 21 (4:00 p.m.), 26 (10:00 p.m.) and 29 (6:10 a.m.)

Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, acclaimed photographer and director of the three editions of HBO's "The Black List," THE LATINO LIST spotlights a diverse range of notables from music, science, journalism, theater, politics, business and government. In intimate interviews with NPR correspondent Maria Hinojosa, these prominent Hispanic Americans discuss such subjects as the childhood inspirations that fueled their ambitions, how they achieved success, the evolving American cultural landscape they helped mold, the importance of preserving a distinct cultural identity for future generations to embrace and the challenges of discrimination.

The subjects share stories of growing up Latino in America, how their backgrounds shaped their philosophies and their feelings on a society where new opportunities abound, but challenges still exist. Hailing from a variety of backgrounds, including Cuban, Colombian, Honduran, Mexican, Puerto Rican and more, each interviewee has a unique perspective on his or her American success story.

Subjects featured in THE LATINO LIST:

Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter and actress. A seven-time Grammy winner, she is known as the "Queen of Latin Pop" and has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, 31.5 million of those in the U.S. alone.

Emilio Estefan, a Cuban American of Lebanese ancestry, is a musician and producer. His first taste of celebrity came as a member of the Miami Sound Machine, but he is also recognized as a producer.

America Ferrera is a Honduran-American actress, best known for the lead role in the comedy series "Ugly Betty," which earned her multiple awards, including an Emmy?, Golden Globe and SAG Award; she also starred in the HBO original movie "Real Woman Have Curves."

Sandra Cisneros, a Mexican-American writer, is known for her fiction ("The House on Mango Street," "Woman Hollering Creek," "Caramelo") and her poetry ("My Wicked Wicked Ways," "Loose Woman"). Her latest work, "Have You Seen Marie?," be published in fall 2012.

José Moreno Hern?ndez is an engineer of Mexican descent and a former NASA astronaut.

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, is a Mexican American who broke barriers and set records in the military, where she became the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the combat support field of the U.S. Army.

John Leguizamo is an acclaimed Colombian-American actor, comedian, voice artist and producer who has received ALMA and Emmy? awards.

Eva Longoria is a Mexican-American actress, activist and philanthropist who stars on the hit series "Desperate Housewives" and has received Screen Actors Guild and ALMA awards.

Robert "Bob" Menendez, son of Cuban immigrants, is a U.S. Senator from New Jersey.

Armando Christian Pérez, better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an international pop star hailing from Cuba.

Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez is a professional golfer who was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Anthony D. Romero is the first Puerto-Rican executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo is a Mexican radio personality whose Spanish radio show is one of the most popular in Los Angeles.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since Aug. 2009. Of Puerto Rican descent, she is the Court's 111th justice and its first Hispanic justice.

Julie Stav is a Cuban-born financial guru, financial planner, broker, bestselling author and host of a hit daily call-in radio show.

Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, an Afro Puerto Rican, is the founder of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and former director of El Museo del Barrio and the Association of Hispanic Arts.

THE LATINO LIST is part of a multimedia initiative that includes the HBO documentary, a book of photographs and monologues and a traveling photography museum exhibition of the 25 photographic portraits currently running at the Brooklyn Museum through Dec. 11.

Director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is a celebrated portrait photographer whose work is in the collections of numerous museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Between 2008 and 2010, he produced and directed, in collaboration with Elvis Mitchell and Freemind Ventures, "The Black List Project," a series of three HBO documentaries, a traveling museum exhibition of portraits, a book and DVDs. "The Black List, Vol. 1" received an NAACP Image Award.

THE LATINO LIST is directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders; interviews by Maria Hinojosa; executive producers, Ingrid Duran, Catherine Pino and Susan Gonzales; produced by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Tommy Walker and Michael Slap Sloane.