Cesar Chavez (2014)

A biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez.

Director:

Diego Luna

Writers:

Keir Pearson (screenplay), Timothy J. Sexton

Stars:

Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kerry Adra	...	American Lady
Maynor Alvarado	...	Chato Chavez
Yancey Arias	...	Gilbert Padilla
Wes Bentley	...	Jerry Cohen
Sara Banerjee	...	Concerned Mother #1
Jacob Vargas	...	Richard Chavez
Liv Boughn	...	Concerned Mother #2
Darion Basco	...	Larry Itliong
Lisa Brenner	...	Jackie Stringer
Duncan Bridgeman	...	Anchor
Aldo Ceceña	...	Chucho
Michael Cudlitz	...	Sherriff Smith
Roger Cudney	...	Grower
Rosario Dawson	...	Dolores Huerta
America Ferrera	...	Helen Chavez

Storyline

Chronicling the birth of a modern American movement, Cesar Chavez tells the story of the famed civil rights leader and labor organizer torn between his duties as a husband and father and his commitment to securing a living wage for farm workers. Passionate but soft-spoken, Chavez embraced non-violence as he battled greed and prejudice in his struggle to bring dignity to people. Chavez inspired millions of Americans from all walks of life who never worked on a farm to fight for social justice. His triumphant journey is a remarkable testament to the power of one individual's ability to change the world.

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Plot Keywords:

liberation theology | non violence | farm | farm worker | union organizer | 

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Taglines:

History is made one step at a time.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

28 March 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cesar Chavez: An American Hero

Filming Locations:

Sonora, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,861,528, 30 March 2014, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$5,550,866, 4 May 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canana Films,Equipment & Film Design,Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cesar mentions Selma, in 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. who also did peaceful protest for black civil rights, Selma is also a town in Central California near Hanford and Lemoore

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Quotes

Cesar Chavez: You know, when the Chinese came to America to build the railroads, you know what they demanded of their overseers?
Fernando Chavez: [nonchalantly] No.
Cesar Chavez: Food. Good food. And enough time to enjoy it. And if the owners skimped on that, they wouldn't lift a finger. Give the Chinese a good meal every day, and they could build the infrastructure of a continent. Their meal is what gave their lives their dignity. And to them, dignity was more important than money.

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Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2017)

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Soundtracks

Estoy perdido
Performed by Los Tres Ases
Composed by Víctor Manuel Mato Argumedo
Published by Promotora Hispano Americana de Música, S.A. de C.V. (PHAM)
Courtesy of Producciones Mexicanas Discográficas, S.A. de C.V.

User Reviews

Hollywood Critics have it all wrong..

Firstly, I disagree with the external critic reviews that bring the overall rating of the film down very much. Unfortunately, these are the criticisms that will keep Hollywood from investing in future endeavors that symbolize the Latino/Social Justice/Consciousness-Inducing narratives that the public desperately needs.

I work in the immigrant social justice movement and I work closely with a lot of farm worker justice orgs, including Chavez's UFW. I understand that there are contexts missing and that there were a lot of things at stake during that particular movement, but I'm more aware of the fact that it would be hard for the general public and the folks that really need to go and watch this film to understand the greater context and be moved by the politics that plagued the social advocates and continue to plague our movement today.

I also took my Spanish-speaking, first generation immigrant family to watch this film. They are not involved in any of my work but some of them have worked on the fields as guest workers, etc. I was glad to see that they were moved and even brought to tears by the simplicity of the film and that they appreciated that someone was acknowledging their struggle. At the end of the day, the film was entertaining, well acted, and it served its purpose to educate and inspire people like my family.