American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 32 (2011) Lifetime Achievement Award
Luis Miguel Valdez
ルイス・ミゲル・バルデス
Luis Miguel Valdez
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1940-06-26 （Delano, California, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- Delano, California → San Jose, California → San Juan Bautista, California → Fresno, California
Career
- Occupations
- playwright, screenwriter, film director, actor, director, educator
- Active Years
- 1961-
- Affiliations
- El Teatro Campesino (founder), California State University, Monterey Bay (faculty), TENAZ (national Chicano theater organization, co-founder)
- Influenced By
- Cesar Chavez, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales
- Influenced
- Numerous playwrights and theater groups of the Chicano theatre movement, Latin/a filmmakers and screenwriters
- Nominations
- Golden Globe Award (Zoot Suit, La Bamba)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San José State University | Mathematics & Physics (switched to English) | English | — | — | United States |
San José State University
Mathematics & Physics (switched to English)
/ English
Country:
United States
Won a playwriting contest while at university; early plays produced by the drama department
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Peabody Award | Corridos: Tales of Passion and Revolution | — | The Peabody Awards / PBS | 受賞 |
| 1982 | Cartagena Film Festival Best Picture | Zoot Suit | — | Cartagena Film Festival | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Order of the Aztec Eagle (Águila Azteca) | — | — | Government of Mexico | 受賞 |
| 1992 | Hispanic Heritage Award (Literature) | — | — | Hispanic Heritage Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1990 | California Governor's Award | — | — | State of California | 受賞 |
| 2015 | National Medal of Arts | — | — | United States Government | 受賞 |
| 2007 | United States Artists Rockefeller Fellow | — | — | United States Artists | 受賞 |
| — | Golden Globe Award (nominated) | Zoot Suit / La Bamba | — | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | ノミネート |
Peabody Award
1987
Work:
Corridos: Tales of Passion and Revolution
Organization:
The Peabody Awards / PBS
Result:
受賞
Cartagena Film Festival Best Picture
1982
Work:
Zoot Suit
Organization:
Cartagena Film Festival
Result:
受賞
Order of the Aztec Eagle (Águila Azteca)
1994
Organization:
Government of Mexico
Result:
受賞
Hispanic Heritage Award (Literature)
1992
Organization:
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
Result:
受賞
California Governor's Award
1990
Organization:
State of California
Result:
受賞
National Medal of Arts
2015
Organization:
United States Government
Result:
受賞
United States Artists Rockefeller Fellow
2007
Organization:
United States Artists
Result:
受賞
Golden Globe Award (nominated)
Work:
Zoot Suit / La Bamba
Organization:
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Result:
ノミネート
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Zoot Suit
1978 play / filmA play that intertwines the real-life Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the Zoot Suit riots in 1940s Los Angeles; combines historical events with symbolic theatrical techniques. Staged on Broadway in 1979 and adapted as a film in 1981.
racismidentityhistory and memoryethnic pride
Adaptations
- [film] Zoot Suit (film) / Luis Valdez (1981)
La Bamba
1987 biographical film / writer-directorA biographical film about Mexican-American musician Ritchie Valens; a mainstream breakthrough that brought Valens's story to wide audiences.
immigration and assimilationmusic cultureyouthful success and tragedy
I Am Joaquin
1969 short documentary / poetic adaptationA film adaptation of Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales's poem, poetically expressing Chicano history and identity. Selected for the National Film Registry in 2010.
indigeneityheritageethnic identity
Los Vendidos
1967 one-act play (acto)A satirical one-act play addressing stereotypes about Chicanos. One of the signature works of El Teatro Campesino.
stereotype satirepolitical humourcultural critique
Bibliography
- The Theft (one-act)
- The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa
- Los Vendidos
- I Am Joaquin (short film)
- Zoot Suit (play)
- La Bamba (film)
Adaptations
- Zoot Suit (stage play adapted into film)
- La Bamba (film written and directed by Valdez)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- presentational style influenced by agitprop and guerrilla theatreblend of humor and political commentarycolloquial, narrative-driven voice
- Recurring Motifs
- farmworker lifeChicano history and identitymusic and corridosimmigrant experience
Legacy
Luis Valdez is regarded as a pioneer of Chicano theatre and film; through founding El Teatro Campesino he established a platform for Chicano cultural expression and political voice. His works significantly shaped Chicano literature and theatre and contributed to the visibility of Latinos in American culture.
Archives
- Luís Valdez Papers (California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, UC Santa Barbara)
- Teatro Campesino Archives (California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, UC Santa Barbara)
In Popular Culture
- La Bamba is known as a landmark Latinx biopic in American cinema
Trivia
- Born to migrant farmworker parents and moved with his family through harvest seasons during childhood.
- His brother is actor Daniel Valdez.
- 'I Am Joaquin' was selected for the National Film Registry in 2010.
- El Teatro Campesino began as a farmworker theater troupe intended to educate and organize workers.