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La Bamba

La Bamba

Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream.

1987 · 108 min · ★ 7.3 · Drama, Music

Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob, and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly.

Directed by Luis Valdez · Written by Luis Valdez

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Zoot SuitZoot Suit · 1981
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Part fact and part fiction, Zoot Suit is the film version of Luis Valdez's critically acclaimed play, based on the actual Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the zoot suit riots of 1940s Los Angeles. Henry Reyna is the leader of a group of Mexican-Americans being sent to San Quentin without substantial evidence for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon. As part of the defense committee, Alice Bloomfield and George Shearer fight the blatant miscarriage of justice for the freedom of Henry and his friends.
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Experimental film woven around a poem about Chicano culture in the U.S. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2017.
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Corridos! Tales of Passion and Revolution is a one-hour celebration of Mexican-American music and culture. Long before television and radio, ‘Los Corridos’ were the singing voice of the people along, above and below the two thousand-mile U.S. Mexican border.

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