The Chicano Hollywood Film Festival, in partnership with Pure Flix Familia, has named Oscar-nominated makeup artist and character designer Ken Diaz as the inaugural recipient of the Community Impact Legacy Award. The honor, presented during the festival's Closing Night Awards Ceremony, recognizes individuals whose lives exemplify faith, servant leadership, and a lifelong commitment to strengthening families and communities.
Diaz, known for his work on films like Blood In Blood Out, American Me, and Training Day, has had a career that spans decades. However, it is his personal journey of faith and his dedication to community service that made him the unanimous choice for this award. In 1991, Diaz was shot in the leg after confronting young gang members spray-painting graffiti beneath a Los Angeles freeway overpass. During his recovery, a friend prayed with him and introduced him to Jesus Christ, beginning a spiritual transformation that would shape the rest of his life.
Following that experience, Diaz became involved in a church in Pico Rivera, where he worked alongside former gang members who shared dramatic presentations based on their own lives. These stories highlighted the violence and consequences of gang culture, but also the hope found through faith, forgiveness, and redemption. This encounter changed the course of Diaz's life, influencing both his faith and the stories he would help bring to the screen. “I had gone from wanting to beat these kids…to having a deeper understanding of them,” Diaz recalled in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I realized the humanity of the hurt, damaged people who just need love and guidance.”
These relationships brought authenticity and humanity to his film work, portraying gang life not as something to glorify, but as a reflection of broken lives that can be transformed through hope and redemption. Today, Diaz continues his commitment through his service with Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program. He serves on the Advisory Board of Homeboy Media, the organization's film and media initiative dedicated to creating pathways into the entertainment industry for formerly gang-involved and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Johnny Murillo, founder of the Chicano Hollywood Film Festival, emphasized the significance of Diaz's honor: “Ken Diaz has spent a lifetime creating unforgettable characters on-screen, but his greatest legacy is the lives he has touched off-screen. His story reflects the values this award was created to recognize faith, redemption, service and a commitment to helping others discover hope and purpose.” Denise Crayne, CFO of Great American Media, added, “Ken's remarkable career speaks for itself, but what makes him truly deserving of this honor is the way he has invested his faith, influence and compassion in the lives of others.”
The Community Impact Legacy Award is presented by Pure Flix Familia, Great American Media's upcoming Spanish-language and bilingual faith and family entertainment destination. The award underscores Pure Flix Familia's mission to celebrate individuals whose lives demonstrate the power of faith, service, and authentic storytelling to strengthen families and communities. Through his work with Homeboy Media, Diaz is helping develop filmmaking programs that provide career training and job placement for roles both in front of and behind the camera, producing films and television projects that reflect the organization's philosophy of kinship, redemption, and hope.
This award not only honors Diaz's contributions but also highlights the importance of second chances and community support. As Murillo noted, “Ken has never separated his faith from his profession. Whether mentoring young artists, helping tell authentic stories on screen, or creating opportunities for men and women rebuilding their lives after incarceration, he has consistently used his God-given talents to serve others.” The recognition serves as a reminder of the impact that faith and service can have on both individuals and communities, and it sets a precedent for future recipients of the award.
