John Joseph Valadez (born 1966) is an American Latino documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on the Chicano and Latino experience in the United States.[1] His directed features have been nationally broadcast on PBS and CNN over the past 25 years.[2] His series Latino Americans won a Peabody Award in 2013,[3] and his work has received two national Emmy nominations.[4] [5]
Valadez was born in Seattle, Washington.[6]
He also taught photography in rural India. Valadez studied filmmaking at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he received a BFA.[7] He received an MFA in filmmaking from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier.[8]
He served as Artist-in-residence at Texas State University,[9] as Distinguished Filmmaker-in-Residence at The University of Texas, Arlington,[10] and as a trustee of the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar.[11]
Valadez previously taught at Michigan State University,[12] and is currently a professor of documentary filmmaking at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.[13]
His most recent film, American Exile aired nationally on PBS in 2021. The film explores the deportation of US military veterans, and played a role in helping to change[14] national policy, allowing deported veterans and their families to return home[15] [16]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Passin' It On | Yes | No | Valadez's first film. | |
| 2008 | The Last Conquistador | Yes | Yes | Aired as a part of PBS'sPOV series. | |
| 2010 | The Longoria Affair | Yes | Yes | Aired on PBS's Independent Lens series. | |
| 2016 | The Head of Joaquin Murrieta | Yes | Yes | Short film aired on PBS. | |
| 2021 | American Exile | Yes | Yes | Aired on PBS. |
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Matters of Race | No | Yes | Mini series on PBS | |
| 2004 | Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise | No | Yes | ||
| 2005 | CNN Presents | Yes | No | Episode High Stakes: The Battle to Save Our Schools | |
| 2009 | Latin Music USA | Yes | Yes | Episode The Chicano Wave | |
| 2013 | Latino Americans | No | Yes | Episodes War and Peace and Prejudice and Pride |
| Year | Title | Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Passin' It On | 1993 News and Documentary Emmy Awards- Best Editing[17] | Nominated | |
| 2005 | CNN Presents | IDA Award[18] | Won | |
| 2010 | Latin Music USA | IDA Award[19] | Nominated | |
| 2011 | The Longoria Affair | 2011 Outstanding Historical Programming- Long Form | Nominated[20] | |
| 2013 | Latino Americans | Peabody Award | Won |