Being called to receive the Latino Business Association's Chairman's Visionary Award for his upcoming epic "Apocalypto," Mel Gibson received thunderous applause as he walked onstage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to receive the award.
Association Chairman Rick Sarmiento said that after he had watched a screening of the film, awarding Gibson wasn't something he had to think about much. "Hearing him tell the story about using Latino actors, it was a no-brainer," Sarmiento said.
The film itself is a Mayan-language production filmed in Mexico telling the story of the decline of the Mayan civilization.
Gibson commented on how he cast a group of unknown actors and the crew of Latino makeup artists and set designers, saying:
"It's not really a Hollywood production. It's a film made by Mexico, in a way." In the beginning he traveled to Mexico on his own looking for actors for the project.
Gibson added that the film that the film is scheduled to be released on December 8, by Disney (DIS).
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