Chavez family, UFW hope Wednesday White House screening of Cesar Chavez helps inspire the nation
Wednesday’s screening of Cesar Chavez the film at the White House follows a two-week countrywide series of special screenings. The film is being greeted everywhere with universal acclaim and standing ovations. It was the Audience Award-winner at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin last week.
“We hope Cesar Chavez will inspire the nation just as the President has said Cesar Chavez inspired Mr. Obama’s work,” said Paul F. Chavez, Chavez’s middle son and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation. “The truth is we would not be here if it weren’t for Cesar,” the President said on Oct. 8, 2012, when dedicating the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument at La Paz in Keene, Calif., where Chavez lived and worked his last quarter century and where he is buried.
“Farm workers continue to draw inspiration from Cesar Chavez’s leadership and courage,” said United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez. “Whether they are negotiating a contract with one of the most powerful agricultural companies or fighting for immigration reform, Cesar Chavez the movie will serve as a reminder for farm workers and all Americans that they too have the power to bring about transformational change in their lives and the lives of their families.”
The film reflects four years of work by the Chavez foundation and family with director Diego Luna and his team after the foundation licensed rights to the movie.
“It does more than recount an epic battle during the ‘60s between farm workers and one of California’s richest industries,” Paul Chavez said. “It also captures the spirit, humanity and complexity of a man who taught ordinary people to do extraordinary things—and in so doing inspired millions of others from all walks of life who never worked on a farm to social and political activism.
“By genuinely portraying my father as a farm worker, Latino and American hero, this film also tells a story about our country that every American should see.”
A number of other members of the Chavez family and Chavez foundation as well as UFW President Rodriguez are attending the screening. The official Hollywood premier of Cesar Chavez takes place Thursday.
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