Market Screening: American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez

An auteur emerges from America's underclass: from migrant farmworker to revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize workers to win the first farmworker union contract. His Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. When critical rejection killed the show, he persevered and made La Bamba, a breakout blockbuster that brought an authentic vision of Mexican American life to the world. Sixty years on, El Teatro remains a beacon for Latino/a creators. This is the story of an artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations.