Civil rights icon and labor leader Dolores Huerta is getting the biopic treatment in a new film.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gregory Nava (“El Norte,” “Selena”) is set to direct. He will also write and produce alongside the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated Barbara Martinez.
Huerta, who turns 94 today, is a renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers Union alongside Cesar Chavez. She is the originator of the famous rallying cry “Sí, se puede,” which means “Yes, we can.”
She has received numerous awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2012.
Her work has continues today as she advocates for the working poor, women and children through her Dolores Huerta Foundation.
The biopic film will dramatize Huerta’s lifefor the first time, delivering a multi-faceted portrait of woman who became a movement leader, political activist, mother of 11 and dedicated environmentalist.
“As our country tackles very challenging times, the moment is now to tell my story,” Huerta says. “I’ve spent a year sharing intimate, never before disclosed details of my life’s journey to filmmakers Gregory Nava and Barbara Martinez, who I am thrilled will tell the untold story of my life. Gregory Nava has made classic movies that are the most authentic and impactful of our American Latino experience. It is my hope that people will see this film and find inspiration to realize their own unlimited power. ¡Si se puede!”
Nava and Martinez conducted more than 70 hours of exclusive interviews where Huerta divulged details she had never shared before about her life. Huerta had been approached by a multitude of filmmakers to acquire her life rights, and ultimately choose Nava and Martinez, who have had a decades-long relationship with her family.
The deal was negotiated by Northside Services chairman Jeff Berg, representing Nava and Martinez. Ivette Rodriguez and Christina Kounelias serve as marketing, PR and brand consultants for the project.
“Dolores Huerta is like an earthquake that shook this country,” Nava says. “She shattered all racial and gender barriers to become one of the great labor and civil rights leaders of our time. For over five decades she has forged and participated in some of the most defining moments of our nation’s history and inspired millions with her rallying cry of ‘¡Si Se Puede¡’‘Yes we can.’ Dolores’ story is an epic American saga, and we are deeply honored that she has chosen us to tell it.”
Martinez says, “Dolores Huerta gave us hope, a warrior who fought to make our world a better place. Her courage paved the way for Latinas, women, and all Americans. Her story made history and needs to be told now more than ever.”
There’s no word yet on financing or distribution plans for the movie, which will portray significant historical figures such as Robert F. Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, Fred Ross, Coretta Scott King, Gloria Steinem and Richard Chavez.
