Hollywood, California – ‘Cesar Chavez,’ opened in theaters nationwide this week amid protests from historians and Filipino community leaders that the Diego Luna film fails to tell the real story behind the United Farm Workers (UFW) and the labor movement started by Filipinos in the grape farms of Delano, California. While historical documents have long confirmed that Larry Itliong and other Filipino labor leaders contributed greatly to the eventual formation of UFW headed by Cesar Chavez, the film has all but minimized if not totally erased Filipinos from major scenes relating to the farm labor movement.
In the one hour and thirty eight-minute film, Larry Itliong, played by Filipino American actor Darion Basco, appeared for less than 10 minutes total, and mostly as a bystander.
Overwhelmed by the negative reaction of film goers to what could have been a monumental film epic, producers of the Hollywood film issued the following disclaimer:
“Cesar Chavez is a film based on fiction. Any similarities to actual persons — dead or alive — or to places and events — past and present — are purely coincidental. We encourage the viewing public from all nationalities and ethnic background to go see the film to ensure its box office success and help us recover the $10 Million we invested in this feel-good movie.”
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