''Cesar's Last Fast'' is a 2014 American documentary film co-directed and produced by

Richard Ray Perez Richard Ray Perez is an American documentary film producer and director. His productions include '' Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election'', a political documentary. Perez is the co-executive producer of the second season of The '' Freedo ...

and Lorena Parlee. The film premiered in competition category of ''U.S. Documentary Competition program'' at the

2014 Sundance Film Festival The 2014 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 16, 2014 until January 26, 2014 in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance Resort in Utah. The festival opened with ''Whiplash'' directed by Da ...

on January 19, 2014. Before the premiere of the film at

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, ''

Participant Media Participant Media, LLC is an American Film industry, film production company founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Skoll, dedicated to entertainment intended to spur social change. The company finances and co-produces film and television content, as well as ...

'' and ''Univision News'' acquired the TV rights of the film. The film will premiere simultaneously in English on Pivot and in Spanish on the Univision Network.

Plot

The film narrates the events of 1988, when

Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez (born Cesario Estrada Chavez ; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later merged ...

began his "Fast for Life," a 36-day water-only hunger strike, to draw attention to the horrific effects of unfettered pesticide use on farm workers, their families, and their communities.

Reception

The film received mixed to positive response from critics. Dennis Harvey in his review for '' Variety'' said that "While not necessarily the definitive cinematic account of Chavez's life or the UFW movement, ''Cesar's Last Fast'' provides a well-crafted, sometimes stirring encapsulation." Justin Lowe of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' gave the film positive review and said that "A reverential perspective on America's renowned union founder and leader." Carlos Aguilar from

Indiewire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

in his review said that "Touching, insightful, and extremely well crafted, Richard Ray Perez's work shows above all an admiration for a man whose life wasn't entirely his but of his people."

References

External links

Official website
* * 2014 films American documentary films 2014 documentary films Documentary films about labor relations in the United States Hunger strikes Toxic effects of pesticides United Farm Workers Films about activists Cesar Chavez 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{2010s-documentary-film-stub