The Chicano Movement that burgeoned in the 1960s gave rise not only to a wave of Mexican-American political activism, but to an entire cultural renaissance that empowered Chicano artists to tell their own stories. The path-breaking filmmakers who emerged in the 1970s and 80s represented onscreen, for the first time, a community hitherto ignored— or misrepresented— by mainstream media. Defying the odds, these directors created a counter-cinema that spoke to the unique experiences of Chicano life. Their films are chronicles both of struggle— against racism, economic exploitation, police abuse— and of a vibrant culture's history and traditions.
Featuring award-winning films from filmmakers such as Lourdes Portillo, Sylvia Morales and Gregory Nava, Pioneers of Chicano Cinema screens through March 22nd at BAM.
Raíces de sangre (Roots of Blood), Jesús Salvador Treviño (1978)
