Zoot Suit

The debut feature film by writer/director Luis Valdez is a searing adaptation of his play about the events that led to the infamous 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles. Starring Edward James Olmos in an early starring role as a nattily-accoutred pachuco (“street cats with style,” per Valdez), as El Pachuco, he relates the story of a Mexican American—Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez, Luis’s brother)—and his crew, arrested for a crime they didn’t commit against a backdrop of racism against Chicanos in WWII-era Los Angeles, loosely based on the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial. With exuberant dance sequences scored by Daniel Valdez and music legend Lalo Guerrero. Combing stage and film techniques, the ZOOT SUIT remains a defining work of Chicano cinema, exploring identity, injustice, and the power of cultural expression. Olmos reprises his Pachuco role in AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ.

Don’t Miss: After experiencing Zoot Suit, join us for American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (opening July 31), an inspiring portrait of the visionary playwright and filmmaker behind this landmark of Chicano cinema.

Part of Chicano Visions.

Presented by RoxCine. Co-presented by Cine+Mas San Francisco Latino Film Festival