Press Release
Contact: Valerie Menard
press@cinelasamericas.org
512-926-1369
CLAIFF20 PRESENTS AUSTIN PREMIERE OF DOLORES
AUSTIN, TX (April 25, 2017) – In keeping with its tradition of screening new releases to Austin audiences, the Cine Las Americas International Film festival (CLAIFF) marks its twentieth effort with a list of remarkable premieres, including the documentary film, Dolores, May 4, 6 p.m. at the Blanton Museum of Art, 200 E. MLK Blvd.
The film chronicles the life of United Farm Workers (UFW) co-founder, Dolores Huerta. History books may focus on the leadership role that Cesar Chavez played with the UFW, but Huerta, the mother of 11, was right by his side, during the boycotts, marches, and strikes that the UFW used to bring attention to the plight of the laborers in the fields.
“I have always been an admirer of Dolores Huerta, and went to see her speak at the Texas Union in September of 2002. It’s a moment that I cherish because she was so passionate, and her speech energized the room,” said Jean Anne Lauer, Festival Director for Cine Las Americas. “I was equally moved by the film Dolores, which, in my opinion, was long overdue, since Huerta was there from the beginning but was barely visible in the mainstream histories so far. We are pleased to be able to share this important and inspiring film with our audiences.”
Granted unprecedented access to both Huerta and her children, director Peter Bratt (left) sheds light on this enigmatic, intensely private woman. Huerta shares personal stories and the emotional journey of a woman with heroic fortitude and humility. When Chavez passed away in 1993, many assumed that Huerta would take on the leadership role for the UFW, but she was denied and Chavez’s son-in-law, Arturo Rodriguez, was named UFW president.
“In the documentary (co-produced by actor Benjamin Bratt, the director’s brother, and executive produced by musician Carlos Santana), we get a potent sense of Huerta’s unflagging determination,” writes Claudia Puig in a review for the Sundance Film Festival that premiered the film this year. “We also learn of the personal cost of her commitment, the months spent away from her children while they were growing up. Several of her children are interviewed in the film, speaking candidly, and often tearfully, of the years without their mom, as she doggedly fought agribusiness and grape growers.”
The film follows Huerta’s fascinating life, from the fearless young woman confronting teamsters on violent picket lines to the activist grandmother nearly beaten to death by a San Francisco police squad.
Tickets to the screening are $10. To purchase tickets, passes, or a membership and a badge, go to www.cinelasamericas.org. The full lineup for the 2017 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival will be released online and more details announced in upcoming releases. For more information and to check for screening schedules go to www.cinelasamericas.org.
###
ABOUT CINE LAS AMERICAS: Cine Las Americas is a multi-cultural, 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Austin Texas, offering theatrical screenings of films made by or about Latinos or indigenous peoples of the Americas. Films from Spain and Portugal are also included, enhancing a truly Pan-American cinematic experience. The mission of Cine Las Americas is to promote cross-cultural understanding and growth by educating, entertaining and challenging the diverse Central Texas community through film and media arts.