Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "mexican-american-history"

1. Selena (1997)

PG | 127 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The true story of Selena, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart-topping albums on the Latin music charts.

Director: Gregory Nava | Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Jackie Guerra

Votes: 31,788 | Gross: $35.42M

2. American Me (1992)

R | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

A Mexican-American Mafia kingpin is released from prison, falls in love for the first time, and grows introspective about his gangster lifestyle.

Director: Edward James Olmos | Stars: Edward James Olmos, William Forsythe, Sal Lopez, Vira Montes

Votes: 10,498 | Gross: $13.09M

3. La Bamba (1987)

PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Music

Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.

Director: Luis Valdez | Stars: Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña

Votes: 36,562 | Gross: $54.22M

4. Stand and Deliver (1988)

PG | 103 min | Biography, Drama

The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.

Director: Ramón Menéndez | Stars: Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan, Virginia Paris

Votes: 22,437 | Gross: $13.99M

5. McFarland, USA (2015)

PG | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.

Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts

Votes: 42,427 | Gross: $44.47M

6. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.

Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore

Votes: 73,086 | Gross: $3.97M

7. Joan Baez I Am a Noise (2023)

113 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

At the end of a 60-year career, legendary singer and activist Joan Baez takes an honest look back and a deep look inward as she tries to make sense of her large, history-making life, and the personal struggles she's kept private.

Directors: Miri Navasky, Maeve O'Boyle, Karen O'Connor | Stars: Joan Baez, Gabriel Harris, Pauline Baez, Joan Baez Sr.

Votes: 568

8. The Golden Boy (2023)

TV-MA | 156 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport

It peels back the layers of Oscar de la Hoya while celebrating this complicated and controversial figure. We will explore his triumphs and turmoil to reveal a man struggling to come to terms with lifelong demons.

Stars: Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Villena

Votes: 409

9. 77 Minutes (2016)

98 min | Documentary

A doc exploration of the 1984 McDonald's Massacre, where a man walked into a San Diego fast food restaurant and shot forty men, women, and children.

Director: Charlie Minn | Stars: Carlos Amezcua, Maria Aquino, Max Branscomb, Richard Carlson

Votes: 945

10. Zoot Suit (1981)

R | 103 min | Drama, Musical

When barrio leader Henry Reyna and his friends are unjustly convicted on circumstantial evidence, activist lawyers Alice Bloomfield and George Shearer fight the blatant racially motivated miscarriage of justice to win them their freedom.

Director: Luis Valdez | Stars: Daniel Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Charles Aidman, Tyne Daly

Votes: 1,346 | Gross: $3.26M

11. Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo (2019)

Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography

Having spent much of his early life in prison, actor Danny Trejo discusses his career and how he has overcome a life of crime and addiction.

Director: Brett Harvey | Stars: Cheech Marin, Craig Balkam, Danielle Trejo, Danny Trejo

Votes: 1,294

12. Salt of the Earth (1954)

Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, History

Mexican workers at a zinc mine call a general strike. It is only through the solidarity of the workers, and importantly the indomitable resolve of their wives, mothers, and daughters, that they eventually triumph.

Director: Herbert J. Biberman | Stars: Juan Chacón, Rosaura Revueltas, Will Geer, David Bauer

Votes: 4,055

13. Carlos (2023)

R | 87 min | Documentary, Biography

Follows Santana's journey from 14-year-old street musician to a 10-time Grammy winning global sensation. Features unseen archival footage and tracks.

Director: Rudy Valdez | Star: Carlos Santana

Votes: 312

14. Walkout (2006 TV Movie)

TV-14 | 110 min | Drama

A teacher becomes a mentor to Chicano high-school students protesting injustices in schools in 1968.

Director: Edward James Olmos | Stars: Alexa PenaVega, Michael Peña, Yancey Arias, Laura Harring

Votes: 1,578

15. Cesar Chavez (2014)

PG-13 | 102 min | Biography, Drama

A biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez.

Director: Diego Luna | Stars: Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich

Votes: 3,626 | Gross: $5.55M

16. What We Leave Behind (2022)

71 min | Documentary

After a lifetime of bus rides to the US to visit his children, Julián quietly starts building a house in rural Mexico. In filming his work, his granddaughter crafts a personal and poetic love letter to him and his homeland.

Director: Iliana Sosa

Votes: 175

17. Dolores (I) (2017)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History

In the 1950's, a working-class wife and mother of eleven children helps to establish a farmer's union, which later develops into a platform for feminism and gender equality.

Director: Peter Bratt | Stars: Dolores Huerta, Martin Luther King, Luis Valdez, Ricardo S. Chavez

Votes: 377 | Gross: $0.56M

18. LA Originals (2020)

92 min | Documentary

Photographer Estevan Oriol and artist Mister Cartoon turned their Chicano roots into gritty art, impacting street culture, hip hop and beyond.

Director: Estevan Oriol | Stars: Estevan Oriol, Mister Cartoon, Snoop Dogg, Clifton Collins Jr.

Votes: 2,004

19. American Homeboy (2023)

83 min | Documentary

Pachuco and Cholo culture sprouted from American soil in response to social alienation, wartime sentiment, and discriminatory government policies, only to revolutionize pop culture.

Director: Brandon Loran Maxwell | Stars: Estevan Oriol, Kenneth Castillo, Jerry H. Ramirez, Luis J. Rodriguez

Votes: 12

20. Underwater Dreams (2014)

Unrated | 86 min | Documentary, History, News

Underwater Dreams, narrated by Michael Peña, chronicles the story of how the sons of undocumented Mexican immigrants learned how to build underwater robots. And go up against MIT in the process.

Director: Mary Mazzio | Star: Michael Peña

Votes: 94

21. The Last Brown Beret

103 min | Drama | Post-production

Brown Beret 1960's activists reunite for a funeral. At the after party, one of them waylays the others into the garage where they use to meet. They attempt to come to terms with what they changed for the good, and what was left undone.

Director: Del Zamora | Stars: Alex Cox, Randy Vasquez, George Reynolds, Del Zamora

22. Life is Art (2022)

54 min | Documentary, Biography

An often-overlooked actor with an amazing career who has overcome formidable odds to reach his goals, live life to the fullest and give back to his community.

Director: Luis Reyes | Stars: David Ansen, Robert Beltran, Dave Boyle, Gloria Calderón Kellett

Votes: 15

23. 915 (2020)

R | 125 min | Documentary

A graphic documentary about the 2019 Cielo Vista Walmart Shooting in El Paso, Texas.

Director: Charlie Minn | Stars: Patricia Benavides, Alicia Gallego Bueno, Luis Calvillo, William Englisbee

Votes: 51

24. Porvenir, Texas (2019)

Not Rated | 56 min | Documentary

In the early morning hours of January 28th, 1918, the town known as Porvenir, Texas, ceased to exist. A group of fifteen fathers, uncles, brothers and sons were taken from their homes and ... See full summary »

Director: Andrew Shapter | Stars: Azgad De Los Santos Crisostomo, Penelope Gil, José Marrero, D.J. Morrison

Votes: 9

25. Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire (2019)

82 min | Documentary

Explore the life of Chicano activist Carlos Almaraz, sexual outlaw and visionary painter of some of the most unforgettable images of Southern California.

Directors: Elsa Flores Almaraz, Richard Montoya | Stars: Zack De La Rocha, Shepard Fairey, Dolores Huerta, Cheech Marin

Votes: 80

26. Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer's Journey (2015)

52 min | Documentary

"A Photographer's Journey" captures the remarkable life and work of Pedro Guerrero (1917-2012). He left behind thousands of photographs and nearly 15 hours of interviews beautifully shot in... See full summary »

Directors: Yvan Iturriaga, Ray Telles | Star: Pedro E. Guerrero

Votes: 27

27. Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story (2003)

30 min | Documentary, Short

Narrated by Cheech Marin and scored by Ry Cooder, this half-hour documentary captures how a community was betrayed by greed, political hypocrisy, and good intentions gone astray.

Director: Jordan Mechner | Star: Cheech Marin

Votes: 40

28. Precious Knowledge (2011)

75 min | Documentary, Drama, Family

Disenfranchised high school seniors become academic warriors and community leaders in Tucson, Arizona's embattled Ethnic Studies classes while state lawmakers attempt to eliminate the program.

Director: Ari Palos | Stars: Curtis Acosta, Jose Gonzalez, Mellanie Hubert

Votes: 85

29. Chicano! History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement (1996 TV Movie)

Documentary

Land, labor, educational reform, and political empowerment are the four themes of this documentary regarding the Mexican American civil rights movement from 1965 to 1975.

Stars: Cesar Chavez, Henry Cisneros

Votes: 21

30. Chulas Fronteras (1976)

58 min | Documentary, Music

"Chulas Fronteras" examines the origins and social significance of the traditional Tejano (or 'Tex-Mex') music that developed along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Director: Les Blank | Stars: Ramiro Cavazos, Los Alegres De Teran, Los Pinguinos del Norte, Rumel Fuentes

Votes: 182 | Gross: $0.01M

31. Los Punks: We Are All We Have (2016)

79 min | Documentary, Music

Los Punks: We Are All We Have is an intimate documentary about the teens and young adults who find meaning in the thriving punk rock scene in the backyards of South Central and East Los Angeles.

Director: Angela Boatwright | Stars: John Alvarado, Gary Alvarez, Nacho Corrupted, April Desmadre

Votes: 203

32. No Más Bebés (2015)

79 min | Documentary, History

They came to have their babies. They went home sterilized. No Mas Bebes is the story of Mexican immigrant mothers who were pushed into sterilizations while giving birth at Los Angeles ... See full summary »

Director: Renee Tajima-Pena

Votes: 54

33. A Class Apart (2009)

TV-PG | 49 min | Documentary

From a small-town Texas murder emerged a landmark civil rights case. The little-known story of the Mexican American lawyers who took Hernandez v. Texas to the Supreme Court, challenging Jim Crow-style discrimination.

Directors: Peter Miller, Carlos Sandoval | Stars: Gloria Villa Cadena, Norma Cantú, Ramiro Casso, James DeAnda

Votes: 35

34. Corpus (I) (1999)

56 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

"Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena" is Chicana filmmaker Lourdes Portillo's foray into the legacy of the tejana singer Selena Quintanilla. Portillo interviews family members such as Selena's ... See full summary »

Director: Lourdes Portillo | Stars: Sandra Cisneros, Rosa Linda Fregoso, Cherrie Moraga, Abraham Quintanilla Jr.

Votes: 17

35. Fruits of Labor (2021)

78 min | Documentary, Drama, Family

Fruits of Labor follows the day-in-a-life of a young farm and factory worker in California, who dreams of being the first in her family to graduate from high school and go to college.

Director: Emily Cohen | Stars: Beatriz Solís, Ashford Solís, Adrian Pérez, Ximena Rocha

Votes: 41

36. Immokalee U.S.A. (2008)

Not Rated | 77 min | Documentary

Every season, tens of thousands of migrant farmworkers converge on small communities like Immokalee, Florida where they plant and harvest the food that Americans consume. A vast majority of... See full summary »

Director: Georg Koszulinski

Votes: 36

37. Chicana (1979)

23 min | Documentary, Short, History

Over a collage of artworks, photographs, and documentary footage, Carmen Zapata and an array of Chicana activists narrate the history of struggles faced by Mexican and Mexican-American women from the pre-Columbian era to the present day.

Director: Sylvia Morales | Stars: Carmen Zapata, Alicia Escalante, Francisca Flores, Dolores Huerta

Votes: 56

38. Stolen Education (2013)

PG | 66 min | Documentary, Drama

In 1956 eight students testified in a federal desegregation court case. As Mexican Americans, they were placed in three years of first grade as a way to discriminate against them by the all... See full summary »

Director: Rudy Luna | Stars: Enrique Alemán Jr., Esperanza Alemán, Norma E. Cantu, Consuelo Esparza

Votes: 20

39. Requiem-29 (1970)

31 min | Documentary, Short, History

Presents footage of the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium Against the War in Vietnam, including the brutal police response, and later funeral and inquest into the death of the journalist Ruben Salazar.

Director: David Garcia | Stars: Norman Pittluck, Raul Ruiz

Votes: 34

40. Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads (2006)

PG | 90 min | Documentary, Music

After a childhood of playing cantinas and honky tonks from Texas to Tennessee, this band of brothers 'Los Lonely Boys' from San Angelo Texas rocked their way to the top of the American ... See full summary »

Director: Hector Galan | Stars: Los Lonely Boys, Joseph T. Campos

Votes: 45

41. The Fight in the Fields (1997)

120 min | Documentary, Biography

This documentary traces the history of the United Farmworkers Union and the life of its founder, Cesar Chavez, from his birth in Arizona, his education into organizing and non-violence, his... See full summary »

Directors: Rick Tejada-Flores, Ray Telles | Stars: Daryl Arnold, Jerry Brown, LeRoy Chatfield, Cesar Chavez

Votes: 31

42. I Am Joaquin (1969)

20 min | Documentary, Short, History

This short film is based on the poem by the same title published by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales in 1967.

Director: Luis Valdez | Star: Luis Valdez

Votes: 159

43. Transvisible: The Bamby Salcedo Story (2014 Video)

60 min | Documentary, Biography, Family

Bamby's story honors the human spirit and celebrates the victories of winning in the face of adversity, with a special message to trans immigrant women that face multiple challenges and oppressions.

Director: Dante Alencastre | Star: Bamby Salcedo

44. Viva la causa (2008)

Not Rated | 40 min | Documentary, Short, History

The Story of César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and a Great Movement for Social Justice.

Directors: Bill Brummel, Alonso Mayo | Stars: Danny Bolero, Gloria Garibay, George Lopez

Votes: 29

45. Backstreet to the American Dream (2021)

102 min | Documentary

This modern-day look at the classic American Dream is done through the quintessential 21st Century entrepreneurial endeavor - food trucks. Backstreet to the American Dream is a deep dive ... See full summary »

Director: Patricia Nazario | Stars: Ryan Harkins, Guillermina Villa Rio, Alfredo Magallanes, Bill Esparza

46. The Hollywood Collection: Anthony Quinn an Original (1990 TV Movie)

60 min | Documentary, Biography

Born in Mexico, he became the main family provider when his father died in an accident. So began the story of a man who had a "thousand jobs" before acting in a film of Cecil B. DeMille - ... See full summary »

Directors: Gene Feldman, Suzette Winter | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Federico Fellini, Anthony Franciosa, Giancarlo Giannini

Votes: 44

47. Mr. Zoot Suit (2018)

17 min | Documentary, Short, Biography

After putting his dreams on hold, a university housekeeping supervisor follows his passion for dancing and educating others about the history of the zoot suit.

Director: Chan'Cellore Makanjuola | Stars: Moses Porras, Rose Mary Porras, Rose Barrera, Josey Porras

48. Enter the Zoot Suit Riot (2018)

14 min | Short, Musical

Kool, a hip successful Chicano living in East LA, grew aware of the tensions between the Pachucos and the servicemen, but he found a place to escape the conflict in his own nightclub. ... See full summary »

Directors: David Fesiuk, Sarah Rachel Fesiuk | Stars: Samuel Hooper, Raymond Masciota, Zane Ramey, Sophie Scott

49. 3 Seconds in October (2021)

28 min | Documentary, Short

When 13-year-old Latino Andy Lopez is killed by a local deputy sheriff, the community of Sonoma County, California erupts in protest over the controversial shooting and demands to know what happened.

Director: Ron Rogers | Star: Peter Coyote

50. Please, Don't Bury Me Alive! (1976)

81 min | Crime, Drama

This independent film, a slice-of-barrio- life that was shot and exhibited in South Texas. It is a compelling film about the dilemmas facing a young Chicano in the spring of 1972 amid the Chicano Movement.

Director: Efrain Gutierrez | Stars: Efrain Gutierrez, Jose Armando, Margarita Armando de Hoyas, Diana Doss

Votes: 33 | Gross: $0.30M