Viva Valdez
Viva Valdez exolores the life and work of Luis Valdez, a pioneering figure in Chicano theater and film whose artistry has helped bring Mexican American stories into the American cultural mainstream. In 1965, amid the Delano grape strike, Valdez founded El Teatro Campesino, through which he created theater as a means of farmworker organizing and community expression. From that political and cultural starting point, his work expanded into new territories, making him an important figure in both the Chicano movement and the history of American cinema and performance.
The Viva Valdez series is co-presented by the Yale Film Archive and the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library as part of Yale’s Hispanic Heritage Month festivities. All screenings are free and open to the public.
Location:
Humanities Quadrangle, Lower Level
320 York Street
New Haven, CT
ZOOT SUIT (Luis Valdez, 1981, DCP, 103 mins)
7 p.m. Friday, October 2, 2026
History and legend collide in Valdez’s vibrant adaptation of his groundbreaking stage play, inspired by the infamous Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the Zoot Suit Riots of 1940s Los Angeles. As a young Mexican American man (Daniel Valdez) fights for justice in a system stacked against him, the flamboyant spirit El Pachuco (Edward James Olmos) guides him through memory, fantasy, and hard truths with wit, swagger, and style. Blending political theater and courtroom drama, Zoot Suit is a bold celebration of Chicano identity and resistance.
AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ (David Alvarado, 2026, DCP, 92 mins)
7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026
Playwright, filmmaker (Zoot Suit, La Bamba), activist, and founder of El Teatro Campesino, Luis Valdez and his colleagues transformed American theater and cinema by putting Chicano stories center stage. Alvarado’s imaginative new documentary traces the remarkable career of an artist whose work fuses politics with performance, folklore with history, and righteous anger with exuberant humor, taking us from the fields of California's Central Valley to Hollywood and Broadway. “A celebration of our successes and progress, and a call to remain proud of one’s roots” (Monica Castillo).
LA BAMBA (Luis Valdez, 1987, DCP, 108 mins)
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026
The meteoric rise of rock-and-roll pioneer Ritchie Valens comes vividly to life in this heartfelt and haunting portrait, starring Lou Diamond Philips in his career-defining first lead role. From farmworker roots to chart-topping success, Valens navigates family expectations, young love, and sudden fame while expanding the sound of American popular music. Great supporting work from Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, and Elizabeth Peña, plus a soundtrack packed with enduring hits. “This rousing foot-tapper…is the definitive Eighties music biopic” (Kevin Maher).
See the full Yale Film Archive screening schedule here.