Cesar Chavez is a film directed by Diego Luna about the life of American labor leader César Chávez, who cofounded the United Farm Workers. The film stars Michael Peña as Chávez. John Malkovich co-stars as the owner of a large industrial grape farm who leads the opposition to Chávez's organizing efforts. It premiered in the Berlinale Special Galas section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.
Movie Details:Directed by: Diego Luna
Produced by: Emilio Azcárraga Jean, Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Gael Garcia Bernal, Russell Smith, Diego Luna, Larry Meli, Keir Pearson, Pablo Cruz
Written by: Keir Pearson
Starring: Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich
Music by: Michael Brook
Cinematography: Enrique Chediak
Edited by: Douglas Crise, Miguel Schverdfinger
Production company: Canana Films
Distributed by: Pantelion Films, Participant Media
Release date(s): February 12, 2014 (Berlin), March 28, 2014 (United States)
Running time: 102 minutes
Country: Mexico, United States
Language: English
Budget: $10 million
Box office: $6,719,851
Source: Wikipedia n IMDB
Watch Cesar Chavez (2014) online
Plot:
The film follows Chávez's efforts to organize 50,000 farm workers in California, many of whom were braceros—temporary workers from Mexico permitted to live and work in the United States in agriculture, and required to return to Mexico if they stopped working. Working conditions are very poor for the braceros, who also suffer from racism and brutality at the hands of the employers and local Californians. To help the workers, César Chávez (Michael Peña) forms a labor union known as the United Farm Workers (UFW). Chávez's efforts are opposed, sometimes violently, by the owners of the large industrial farms where the braceros work. The film touches on several major nonviolent campaigns by the UFW: the Delano grape strike, the Salad Bowl strike, and the 1975 Modesto march.
