Documentary on Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta Will Open This Year's CineFestival

Telling the story of Chicana activist and United Farm Workers Union co-founder Dolores Huerta, the documentary Dolores will open this year's CineFestival, the nation's longest running Latino film festival.

Dolores digs into the life of a civil rights icon who is often overshadowed by her UFW co-founder Cesar Chavez. The film recounts Huerta's tireless fight for women's rights, equal rights for the LGBTQ community and for environmental justice, using never-before-seen archival footage and interviews that trace Huerta's role in America's history of activism.

The documentary premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews; according to Latino USA, the film premiere received a standing ovation. Directed and produced by Peter Bratt with co-producers Carlos Santana and Brian Benson, Dolores promises to set the bar high for this year's CineFestival, which takes place February 24-March 4 and is sponsored by The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. The documentary's showing at CineFestival will be its second showing before a general audience.

In a prepared statement, festival director Jim Mendiola said the documentary perfectly captures the theme of this year's CineFestival: "that movies matter, culturally, and more importantly politically. Chicano cinema started with the 1969 Luis Vadez film I am Joaquin, which was created as an organizing tool for the UFW. It's especially gratifying to bring one of the era's icons to the Guadalupe Theater to kick off our festival."
  Dolores will screen at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe. For tickets and more on the festival, check out cinefestival.org.