Stories in Action

We just learned that “Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East L.A.” has been named Best Documentary at the 6th Annual Reel Rasquache Festival of films by and about U.S. Latinos held last week at California State University, Los Angeles. The 90-minute film, by Emmy Award-winning producer Jon Wilkman, chronicles the little-known story of how young Mexican Americans in East Los Angeles and nearby barrios — caught between two cultures and not fully accepted in either — found their identity by creating a new musical form — a blend of white rock, black soul and Latin rhythms. Watch a trailer of the film and then rent it on Netflix.