Chicana (film) explained

Chicana is a 1979 short documentary film by director Sylvia Morales overviewing the history of the Chicana figure from the pre-Columbian era to the Chicano Movement.^[1] The film has a run time of 22 minutes.^[2]

The film is often discussed among other Chicano films as a Chicana perspective on film.^[3] In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."^{[4] [5]}

Background

Sylvia Morales made the film while she was a student at UCLA. The film has been referred to the first documentary done through a Chicana feminist lens.

Reception

A review for the Los Angeles Times referred to it as "well-researched and [a] spirited documentary made with much love."

Credits

• Anna Nieto-Gómez - Research
• Cynthia Honesto - Research
• Carmen Moreno - Music
• Carmen Zapata - Narration
• Dolores Huerta - Interview
• Alicia Escalante - Interview
• Francisca Flores - Interview

References

1. Web site: Chicana . 2023-01-24 . www.wmm.com . en-US.
2. Web site: Eight films with UCLA ties among 25 named to the National Film Registry . 2023-01-24 . UCLA . en-US.
3. Book: Fregoso, Rosa Linda . The Bronze Screen: Chicana and Chicano Film Culture . 1993 . U of Minnesota Press . 978-1-4529-0100-8 . 1 . en.
4. Web site: SELENA and CHICANA Added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry . 2023-01-24 . Cinema Tropical . en-US.
5. Web site: 'Chicana,' 'Selena' and 'Requiem 29' Named to National Film Registry – Latin Heat . 2023-01-24 . en-US.