welcome back, everyone. so to begin our special tribute to robert rodriguez, please welcome jessica alba. tonight i am thrilled and proud to be here at the nclr alba award representing a very big and very loving and very inclusive family. i am talking about all the people who have had the great privilege and good fortune to work with one of the most acclaimed influential ground breaking not to mention bad ass independent filmmakers ever. robert rodriguez.
i told janet i would only accept this award if i could come here in celebration of all the work everyone has done in the past 20 years. i have been here 20 years. i tell you it was grim 20 years ago. a lot has happened since then. and not just, the wonderful work they have all done and we have all done together. but all of you behind the scenes. making your own movies. doing it. everyone has been doing it for 20 years. we have a lot to look forward to. we have got our own television network now. the network will be a place where you can share your voices and stories. we can do it. we can do it. we have done much harder over the past 20 years. this will be fun. this will be fun. so, i see a lot of young people out there. i want to pass the same torch to you, that ricardo montebalm, passed to me, after the mariachi, he said you are the hope. carry this torch with me. i am not ready to give it up. i want to go for another 20. i want you to come with me. i want you to come with me.