Calling all Cheech fans in the Los Angeles area. If all you’ve ever wanted to do was catch Born in East LA while enjoying the sunny weather outside, this summer’s your chance. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LA Plaza) is hosting its annual Summer Film Series starting June 30th. Located in the heart of Downtown LA and committed to curating the history of Mexican-Americans in the city, LA Plaza is yet again opening its campus to the public for a summer of free screenings.
The outdoor program will be showing a full slate of Chicano classics. You’ll be able to watch the stoner Cheech and Chong comedy Up in Smoke, the Danny Trejo B-movie sendup Machete, as well as two projects that focus on local lore: Variedades on Olvera Street, which uses live music performance to tell an LA history you may not know about and Walkout, which focuses on the East LA high school protests of 1968. The latter will be part of ¡Ya Basta! The East L.A. Walkouts and the Power of Protest exhibition which runs at LA Plaza from June 15, 2018 to January 14, 2019; it promises to be both a history lesson and a call to arms.
LA Plaza’s film series hopes to entertain and instruct. So grab a blanket or a lawn chair and get ready to enjoy a summer’s worth of Chicano films under the stars. And yes, expect live music at many of the screenings as well as plenty of food and drinks to make them nights to remember.
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes’ Summer Film Series kicks off June 30, 2018