A Song for Cesar begins with an inspiration that strikes as musicians Abel Sanchez and Jorge Santana record a song at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. The inspiration is sparked by the spirit of the thousands of farmworkers who worked for generations under back breaking conditions and who struggled for justice alongside labor leaders like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
This film by Andres Alegria and Abel Sanchez tells the story of the alliance that Chavez and farmworker activists formed with musicians and artists in the 1960s and ‘70s to fight for the rights of farmworkers. Members of Cesar’s family, key figures of the movement like Dolores Huerta and artists and musicians like Joan Baez, Carlos Santana and many more, tell the story of marching, singing, painting, acting and standing side-by-side with the farmworkers in their struggle for justice.
Five studio recording sessions are the backbone of the film. The songs themselves are an artistic response to the social conditions that were the farmworkers reality. They also are the transitions between the plot points of the film: Cesar's early life and work in the fields, the inception of the farmworkers union (UFW), the enthusiastic response of musicians and performers in fundraisers for the UFW, the emergence of Chicano Art from the fields of Delano, the role of theater in the struggle, and the commitment to nonviolent action, all helping to create a movement that joined social struggle and culture at the hip.
A Song for Cesar blends together music, art and the striving for social justice emblematic of the period with a contemporary and timely reminder of art's role in progressive change.
The screening will close Hispanic Heritage Month as a celebration of UC Irvine's Latine Community. A panel discussion featuring the filmmakers will follow the film.
A Song for Cesar documentary screening is presented by Chicano/Latino Studies in the School of Social Sciences, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, School of Social Ecology, UCI Labor Center, UCI Latinx Resource Center, UCI Libraries, UCI OC Alliance, and the UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence.
Image credit: A Song For Cesar. Mural artwork by George Yepes (https://georgeyepes.com)
Free admission with registration
