Latest news with #ASCO:WithoutPermission
Los Angeles Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The 10 movies we are most looking forward to watching at the L.A. Latino International Film Festival
Forget Memorial Day weekend. Summer movie-loving begins with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, five days of films pertinent to the experiences of U.S. Latinos, as well as a wide-ranging collection of productions from across Latin America. The event is often one of the few chances L.A. audiences get to see some of these stories. The big-screen festivities kick off with the Gael García Bernal-produced documentary 'ASCO: Without Permission,' about the 1970s Chicano art collective. The program also features titles that debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival: the L.A.-set satire 'Serious People' (the festival's closing night film); 'Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo),' the Bronx tale centering a young father struggling to stay afloat; and 'Rains Over Babel,' the Colombian queer ensemble piece about an otherworldly bar. To help you parse through the offerings, here's a list of 10 films not to miss at the fest. Prolific filmmaker José María Cabral dares to go where cameras have not always been welcomed: la 42. The epicenter of dembow music and Dominican urban culture where 'teteos,' or endless parties, are both integral to the local economy and the space where artistic innovation flourishes. Narrated as if a deceased local producer Zuamy (voiced by Ramón Emilio Candelario) were speaking from the beyond, the kinetic docufiction introduces audiences to the key figures in this music movement, the outsiders fascinated by its energy and even the police officers tasked with reining in the violence and drug trafficking in the area. The always remarkable Chilean actress Paulina García ('Gloria') turns in a harrowing performance in Ana Endara Mislov's delicately rendered and breezily beautiful drama examining the sharper edges of motherhood. García plays Mechi, an aging woman dealing with dementia who was once a successful business owner. Hired as a live-in caretaker in the opulent home, Ana Maria (Jenny Navarrete), a pregnant Colombian immigrant in Panama City hiding a major secret, develops a genuine bond with the initially standoffish Mechi, making for an unassumingly poignant and superbly acted two-hander. The Puerto Rican flag once held a prominent place in the Brownsville, Brooklyn apartment Elaine Del Valle (played largely by an extraordinary Nathalia Lares) grew up in. But as her music-loving father's flaws come into the limelight, forcing her to mature, her identity takes on more complex shades. This lively and touching autobiographical film adaptation of the novel and stage play of the same name — written by Del Valle herself — chronicles Elaine's coming of age amid the challenges of a disadvantaged neighborhood, but also the joys of a tight-knit community. Sorrow and wonder intermingle in the astute girl's turbulent journey. Playing a fictionalized version of himself, Jonathan Benaim, a disabled Venezuelan man, leads this irreverent 'revenge' narrative. The Jonathan on-screen enlists Angela (Paulina Mondragón), his impromptu chaperone, and his driver Eduardo (telenovela heartthrob Aarón Díaz) to travel to Panama and find the daughter of the doctor responsible for his condition. Via piercing dark humor — including cheeky thoughts from Jonathan's mind as on-screen text sprinkled throughout — Benaim and writer-director Daniel Poler defy sanctimonious societal expectations imposed on individuals living with physical disabilities. Luminous, candid and brimming with thought-provoking contradictions, this concise cinematic portrait introduces a non-conforming family in Mexico City where a spiritually minded, disarmingly charming trans woman, Melisa Hackerman, functions as father figure to five children and romantic partner to Claudia, a cisgender woman with traditional views on womanhood. Through evocative visual flourishes that reflect a connection to Indigenous traditions, their household dynamic is observed with curiosity and compassion, yet always probing at the more peculiar ideologies at play in their interpersonal relationships. The young Zapotec Indigenous people in La Raya, a small rural town in Oaxaca where the Chatino language is spoken, dream of migrating north to the United States, seeking prosperity. But in this subtly playful gem propelled by magical realism, those who remain or have returned are the focus. When Sotera (Diana Itzel Cruz Baltazar), a perspicacious girl whose parents are on this side of the border, and her friend Erick (Noé Salvador ) come across a mysterious refrigerator — a strange sight in these parts — a series of unexpected events unfold. A whimsical mixed-media fantasia, this Dominican work of shape-shifting animation takes an oneiric approach to exploring an elderly woman's memories, including that of a lover from her past, as well as her present-day relationship with her adult son, who in turn is dealing with his own romantic woes. Each vividly entrancing frame combines intricate techniques (hand-drawn characters or stop-motion) and endlessly innovative transitions to express surrealist concepts that collectively create a truly inspired and inspiring work of art. Effectively unnerving and strikingly photographed, this horror effort is concerned with the clash between Christianity and pre-Columbian traditions. Bent on evangelizing the Indigenous population in a remote Ecuadorian village, Candice (Sara Canning), a white American woman, alongside her husband and teenage son, must confront endemic beliefs and the man who holds the knowledge about them: the shaman. The confrontation, and what it unleashes, comes to a head when Candice realizes the key to saving herself and her loved ones might be on the other side of the spiritual fence. Comprised of three separate trans-centric stories, this anthology features Carmen Carrera as a formerly incarcerated sex worker on a new path, a straight man grappling with his friends' regressive views on trans women and a Salvadoran trans immigrant in South Gate yearning for connection. Aside from depicting a wide array of trans experiences, filmmaker Kase Peña portrays working-class lives in a city often depicted as a playground for the privileged. Her characters travel on the public transport and engage firsthand with the unglamorous but still relevant realities of a vast metropolis. A farmworker turned heroine during a parent's worst nightmare, Angeli Rose Gomez bypassed the authorities and rescued her sons from the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. This sobering documentary doubles as an indictment of a town that still overlooks its large Mexican American population and a police force that didn't do enough to protect local children — 19 of whom were murdered that day — but swiftly retaliated against a mother who denounced their negligent inaction.
Los Angeles Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The L.A. Latino International Film Festival announces its 2025 lineup
The Latino Film Institute has announced the lineup for its 24th annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF). Between May 28 and June 1, LALIFF will screen more than 90 films at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Attendees can expect a wide selection of features, shorts, episodic works, animation, panels and masterclasses. This year will place an added emphasis on the power of art: a theme that feels more timely than ever before for the festival coordinators. 'This is such a hard time,' says Diana Cadavid, LALIFF's director of industry programs, regarding the tensions of today's political and economic climate. 'Many in our community feel threatened by the level of instability we're facing, we want to make sure we continue to celebrate what makes us very powerful.' LALIFF was founded in 1997 by Edward James Olmos, Marlene Dermer, Kirk Whisler and George Hernandez with the goal of uplifting emerging Latino filmmakers. Since then, it has debuted films by Academy Award-winning directors, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Pablo Larraín. As of last October, LALIFF was officially recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Oscar Qualifying Festival, which means that this year's winners in the Best U.S. Latino Live Action Short and U.S. Latino Animated Short categories would be subsequently eligible for consideration at the 98th Academy Awards. 'The festival continues with that same goal of being this platform for Latino cinema, now with a bigger focus on U.S. Latinos,' says Cadavid, who notes that roughly half the lineup is comprised of U.S. filmmakers. The program will kick off with a screening of 'ASCO: Without Permission,' a documentary about the L.A. teen collective whose avant-garde methods pushed the boundaries of Chicano performance art in the '70s and '80s. Under the executive production of Mexican actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, the film was written and directed by Travis Gutiérrez Senger and recently premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in March. 'I really love the way in which ['ASCO: Without Permission'] brings back the historical work that ASCO did,' said Cadavid. 'That's why we chose it as our opening film, [because] it encompasses precisely that vision that we have for this year's festival.' LALIFF will conclude its itinerary with a showing of another L.A. based film titled 'Serious People.' Co-written and co-directed by Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It stars Gutierrez as a successful music video director, who hires a look-alike to take his place while he prepares for fatherhood. This decision ripples into a series of unexpected events that reflect the growing asymmetry of work-life balance in the States. '['Serious People'] is very connected to art and to culture, to artistic movements,' says Cadavid. 'It's also fun and very L.A., so for us it was very important to give a lot of visibility to the talent in the city.' This year also marks the return of LALIFF Eastside programming at the Regal L.A. Live in DTLA, which aims to highlight Los Angeles stories. Included in the lineup is Yelyna De León's '20 Pounds to Happiness,' a romantic comedy written by 'Real Women Have Curves' creator Josefina López; Yolanda Cruz's 'La Raya,' an Oaxacan coming-of-age story, plus her short film '40+,' about a divorced Los Angeles court translator; Aot Rivera's 'Los Angeles Canvas,' which explores city murals, as well as Kase Peña's 'Trans Los Angeles,' which features four different trans women in different L.A. neighborhoods. ' It's not that easy to come all the way to Hollywood to enjoy the festival,' says Cadavid. 'We wanted to be able to expand to a satellite festival where people can still go and enjoy the films.' In line with LALIFF's mission to spotlight rising filmmakers, they will also showcase the work by participants in the LFI Inclusion Fellowship and LFI Spark Animation Fellowship. This includes 10 live action films and three animation films that are shown across two different screenings at the Egyptian Theatre. The LALIFF lineup includes titles that have graced major international film festivals. From Sundance: 'Rains Over Babel' by Gala del Sol and 'Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, Dile que no Soy Malo)' by Joel Alfonso Vargas, which won the NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast. From SXSW: '42nd Street' by Jose Maria Cabral; 'Uvalde Mom' by Anayansi Prado and 'American Sons' by Andrew James Gonzales. From the Toronto International Film Festival: 'Beloved Tropic' by Ana Endara, 'Linda' by Mariana Wainstein, 'Carnival Is Over' by Fernando Coimbra and 'The Freedom of Fierro' by Santiago Esteinou. From the Málaga Film Festival: 'Stay Still' by Joanna Lombardi. Miami Film Festival: 'Espina' by Daniel Poler. From DOC NYC, 'Isla Familia' by Abraham Jiménez Enoa and Claudia Calviño. Also being featured is 'Shaman,' a film by Antonio Negret, which first aired at the inaugural LALIFF Film Market and later secured distribution. ' There's [a showing] for everybody, you don't necessarily need to be Latino to come and connect with our industry,' says Cadavid. To view the full list of films and purchase passes, visit the festival's official website.
NBC News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
How a 1970s Chicano art group defied the mainstream and made history
LOS ANGELES — They met as teens, formed as young adults, and called their group 'asco' — 'nausea' or 'disgust' in Spanish — after one of their early DIY exhibits. Their conceptual work and performance art spoke to the exclusion of Chicanos from the mainstream art world and the systemic police brutality endured by the Mexican American community in East Los Angeles. When filmmaker Travis Gutiérrez Senger reflects on ASCO's legacy, he quickly notes they were more than an art group; they created a movement, one with remarkable influence on Chicano art history. 'That movement continues today, and it's very expansive,' he says. 'There's a lot of books, films and things that will be written about ASCO over a period of time. And this was our contribution in some ways.' He's referring to 'ASCO: Without Permission,' a documentary that chronicles the story of the 1970s art group founded by multidisciplinary artist Patssi Valdez, muralist Willie Herrón III, painter and performance artist Gronk and writer and photographer Harry Gamboa Jr. All four founding members of ASCO became some of the most notable Chicano artists, later exhibiting works in revered museums around the United States. But in their early days, the group was denied access to the notable galleries and museums. They created their own avenues in the form of public performances, murals and more to exhibit their work, their way. 'To behave badly is the most ethical thing you can do,' said executive producer Gael García Bernal at the film's South by Southwest film festival premiere earlier this month. 'You're building identity and questioning and unmasking the facade and the farce that exists.' Bernal and Diego Luna executive produced the film under their production company El Corriente del Golfo. The film has yet to find distribution. Speaking with The Associated Press, Gamboa and Valdez praised Gutiérrez Senger's approach to their history. Both members, who appear in the documentary, saw the film for the first time with a crowd of fans and a group of young Chicano artists whose art was inspired by ASCO's early rebellion. 'I felt the film really kind of captured the essence of all of us working together,' said Gamboa. Valdez says it was a special moment for her, as the only woman in the founding group, to be given equal time and understanding. 'For the first time, I was given an equal voice in the group that hadn't happened before,' she said, citing how previous stories of the group only highlighted her male collaborators. Without permission ASCO emerged at the height of the Chicano civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a time of heightened political and racial tension amid the East LA walkouts, protesting education inequality, and the Chicano Moratorium, an anti-Vietnam War movement during which many Mexican Americans were victims of police brutality. Muralists and collectives popped up as Latino artists sought to process the systemic injustice taking place in their communities. 'The response to such violence was to create art,' said Gamboa Jr. He wanted to alter the mainstream perception of Chicanos and present the possibilities and avenues someone can create despite societal constraints. For Valdez, being the only woman meant she was no stranger to a double dose of both racism in society and the sexism weaved within conservative Latino households, where young women were expected to keep quiet. 'I couldn't stand it. So, I was able to act out these forms of censorship through the performance work in ASCO,' said Valdez who once taped herself to a public wall in a piece titled 'Instant Mural,' a metaphor on feeling captive. One of ASCO's most known works is 'Spray Paint LACMA.' Gamboa, Gronk and Herrón spray painted their names on the side of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art after Gamboa says he was told by a curator, 'Chicanos are in gangs, they don't make art.' 'There was another era when people said, 'Latinx art, you know, doesn't exist. It's not a thing. It doesn't belong. It's not part of American art,'' said Pilar Tompkins-Rivas, the chief curator and deputy director of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. ASCO's neighborhood performance art would often draw stares, and even crowds. In 'Station of the Cross,' the group carried a large cross to the local military recruiting office to protest the Vietnam War. In 1974, Gamboa took a photo of Gronk posed as the victim of gang violence to bring attention to the media's sensationalist coverage of crime in East Los Angeles. In the documentary, Gamboa claims that a local news station ran the piece as an actual story.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How a 1970s Chicano art group defied the mainstream and made history
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When filmmaker Travis Gutiérrez Senger reflects on ASCO's legacy, he quickly notes they were more than an art group; they created a movement, one with remarkable influence on Chicano art history. 'That movement continues today, and it's very expansive,' he says. 'There's a lot of books, films and things that will be written about ASCO over a period of time. And this was our contribution in some ways.' He's referring to 'ASCO: Without Permission,' a documentary that chronicles the story of the 1970s art group founded by multidisciplinary artist Patssi Valdez, muralist Willie Herrón III, painter and performance artist Gronk and writer and photographer Harry Gamboa Jr. They met as teens, formed as young adults, and called their group 'asco' — 'nausea' or 'disgust' in Spanish — after one of their early DIY exhibits. Their conceptual work and performance art spoke to the exclusion of Chicanos from the mainstream art world and the systemic police brutality endured by the Mexican American community in East Los Angeles. All four founding members of ASCO became some of the most notable Chicano artists, later exhibiting works in revered museums around the United States. But in their early days, the group was denied access to the notable galleries and museums. They created their own avenues in the form of public performances, murals and more to exhibit their work, their way. 'To behave badly is the most ethical thing you can do,' said executive producer Gael García Bernal at the film's South by Southwest film festival premiere earlier this month. 'You're building identity and questioning and unmasking the facade and the farce that exists.' Bernal and Diego Luna executive produced the film under their production company El Corriente del Golfo. The film has yet to find distribution. Speaking with The Associated Press, Gamboa and Valdez praised Gutiérrez Senger's approach to their history. Both members, who appear in the documentary, saw the film for the first time with a crowd of fans and a group of young Chicano artists whose art was inspired by ASCO's early rebellion. 'I felt the film really kind of captured the essence of all of us working together,' said Gamboa. Valdez says it was a special moment for her, as the only woman in the founding group, to be given equal time and understanding. 'For the first time, I was given an equal voice in the group that hadn't happened before,' she said, citing how previous stories of the group only highlighted her male collaborators. Without permission ASCO emerged at the height of the Chicano civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a time of heightened political and racial tension amid the East LA walkouts, protesting education inequality, and the Chicano Moratorium, an anti-Vietnam War movement during which many Mexican Americans were victims of police brutality. Muralists and collectives popped up as Latino artists sought to process the systemic injustice taking place in their communities. 'The response to such violence was to create art,' said Gamboa Jr. He wanted to alter the mainstream perception of Chicanos and present the possibilities and avenues someone can create despite societal constraints. For Valdez, being the only woman meant she was no stranger to a double dose of both racism in society and the sexism weaved within conservative Latino households, where young women were expected to keep quiet. 'I couldn't stand it. So, I was able to act out these forms of censorship through the performance work in ASCO,' said Valdez who once taped herself to a public wall in a piece titled 'Instant Mural,' a metaphor on feeling captive. One of ASCO's most known works is 'Spray Paint LACMA.' Gamboa, Gronk and Herrón spray painted their names on the side of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art after Gamboa says he was told by a curator, 'Chicanos are in gangs, they don't make art.' 'There was another era when people said, 'Latinx art, you know, doesn't exist. It's not a thing. It doesn't belong. It's not part of American art,'' said Pilar Tompkins-Rivas, the chief curator and deputy director of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. ASCO's neighborhood performance art would often draw stares, and even crowds. In 'Station of the Cross,' the group carried a large cross to the local military recruiting office to protest the Vietnam War. In 1974, Gamboa took a photo of Gronk posed as the victim of gang violence to bring attention to the media's sensationalist coverage of crime in East Los Angeles. In the documentary, Gamboa claims that a local news station ran the piece as an actual story. ASCO's work as a group remained in obscurity from the mainstream. It was not until 2011 when LACMA mounted 'ASCO: Elite of the Obscure, A Retrospective, 1972-1887,' the first retrospective to present the group's performance and conceptual art. On display was an image of Valdez, taken by Gamboa, standing above the graffiti art. Life had presented ASCO with its full-circle moment. 'Latino history has always been erased,' said Gutiérrez Senger. ''ASCO: Without Permission' is a story of winning a battle, not a war.' 'No Movies' and Latino representation A 1974 photograph of Valdez shows the artist glammed up in a gold top, holding a golden statue of a cobra. She had won best actress at the Aztlan No Movie Awards — a fictional award show ASCO created as commentary on the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood. The group was inspired by Hollywood cinema and popular culture, but knew the likelihood of starring in studio films was limited, unless they wanted to play a maid, cartel leader or gang member. 'Hollywood movies, rock 'n' roll. That's what I was about,' said Valdez. 'And that's why I responded in the way I did with my artmaking.' Gamboa photographed Herrón, Gronk and Valdez using cinema stock to capture the essence of their favorite films. The series was called 'No Movies' and later inspired their satirical award show. Gutiérrez Senger was drawn to it and pays homage throughout the documentary by featuring a group of young Chicano artists — including local Los Angeles artists like Fabi Reyna and San Cha — in short films inspired by ASCO's signature DIY style. 'I think it's a necessary obligation as a Latino if you're making films to fight very, very hard to put brown people on screen and behind the camera and to try to create films about our history,' said Gutiérrez Senger. 'We have rich stories, and we have a rich history.' 'ASCO: Without Permission' includes testimonials from respected Latino artists, including actor Michael Peña and comedian Arturo Castro, who have broken into the mainstream but know the importance of preserving history. 'Our history as Latinos is not in the history books. The movements that we've had are not in the history books,' Peña says in the documentary. Although it often feels like progression is slow, Valdez says artists need to continue to voice their opinions and 'misbehave and not ask for permission.' 'You do not need permission to be yourself. You do not need permission to be creative. You do not need permission to be intellectual,' said Gamboa. 'And the thing is, you cannot allow yourself to be repressed or silenced and or visually curtailed from presenting works.'
The Independent
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How a 1970s Chicano art group defied the mainstream and made history
When filmmaker Travis Gutiérrez Senger reflects on ASCO's legacy, he quickly notes they were more than an art group; they created a movement, one with remarkable influence on Chicano art history. 'That movement continues today, and it's very expansive,' he says. 'There's a lot of books, films and things that will be written about ASCO over a period of time. And this was our contribution in some ways.' He's referring to 'ASCO: Without Permission,' a documentary that chronicles the story of the 1970s art group founded by multidisciplinary artist Patssi Valdez, muralist Willie Herrón III, painter and performance artist Gronk and writer and photographer Harry Gamboa Jr. They met as teens, formed as young adults, and called their group 'asco' — 'nausea' or 'disgust' in Spanish — after one of their early DIY exhibits. Their conceptual work and performance art spoke to the exclusion of Chicanos from the mainstream art world and the systemic police brutality endured by the Mexican American community in East Los Angeles. All four founding members of ASCO became some of the most notable Chicano artists, later exhibiting works in revered museums around the United States. But in their early days, the group was denied access to the notable galleries and museums. They created their own avenues in the form of public performances, murals and more to exhibit their work, their way. 'To behave badly is the most ethical thing you can do,' said executive producer Gael García Bernal at the film's South by Southwest film festival premiere earlier this month. 'You're building identity and questioning and unmasking the facade and the farce that exists.' Bernal and Diego Luna executive produced the film under their production company El Corriente del Golfo. The film has yet to find distribution. Speaking with The Associated Press, Gamboa and Valdez praised Gutiérrez Senger's approach to their history. Both members, who appear in the documentary, saw the film for the first time with a crowd of fans and a group of young Chicano artists whose art was inspired by ASCO's early rebellion. 'I felt the film really kind of captured the essence of all of us working together,' said Gamboa. Valdez says it was a special moment for her, as the only woman in the founding group, to be given equal time and understanding. 'For the first time, I was given an equal voice in the group that hadn't happened before,' she said, citing how previous stories of the group only highlighted her male collaborators. Without permission ASCO emerged at the height of the Chicano civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a time of heightened political and racial tension amid the East LA walkouts, protesting education inequality, and the Chicano Moratorium, an anti-Vietnam War movement during which many Mexican Americans were victims of police brutality. Muralists and collectives popped up as Latino artists sought to process the systemic injustice taking place in their communities. 'The response to such violence was to create art,' said Gamboa Jr. He wanted to alter the mainstream perception of Chicanos and present the possibilities and avenues someone can create despite societal constraints. For Valdez, being the only woman meant she was no stranger to a double dose of both racism in society and the sexism weaved within conservative Latino households, where young women were expected to keep quiet. 'I couldn't stand it. So, I was able to act out these forms of censorship through the performance work in ASCO,' said Valdez who once taped herself to a public wall in a piece titled 'Instant Mural,' a metaphor on feeling captive. One of ASCO's most known works is 'Spray Paint LACMA.' Gamboa, Gronk and Herrón spray painted their names on the side of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art after Gamboa says he was told by a curator, 'Chicanos are in gangs, they don't make art.' 'There was another era when people said, 'Latinx art, you know, doesn't exist. It's not a thing. It doesn't belong. It's not part of American art,'' said Pilar Tompkins-Rivas, the chief curator and deputy director of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. ASCO's neighborhood performance art would often draw stares, and even crowds. In 'Station of the Cross,' the group carried a large cross to the local military recruiting office to protest the Vietnam War. In 1974, Gamboa took a photo of Gronk posed as the victim of gang violence to bring attention to the media's sensationalist coverage of crime in East Los Angeles. In the documentary, Gamboa claims that a local news station ran the piece as an actual story. ASCO's work as a group remained in obscurity from the mainstream. It was not until 2011 when LACMA mounted 'ASCO: Elite of the Obscure, A Retrospective, 1972-1887,' the first retrospective to present the group's performance and conceptual art. On display was an image of Valdez, taken by Gamboa, standing above the graffiti art. Life had presented ASCO with its full-circle moment. 'Latino history has always been erased,' said Gutiérrez Senger. ''ASCO: Without Permission' is a story of winning a battle, not a war.' 'No Movies' and Latino representation A 1974 photograph of Valdez shows the artist glammed up in a gold top, holding a golden statue of a cobra. She had won best actress at the Aztlan No Movie Awards — a fictional award show ASCO created as commentary on the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood. The group was inspired by Hollywood cinema and popular culture, but knew the likelihood of starring in studio films was limited, unless they wanted to play a maid, cartel leader or gang member. 'Hollywood movies, rock 'n' roll. That's what I was about,' said Valdez. 'And that's why I responded in the way I did with my artmaking.' Gamboa photographed Herrón, Gronk and Valdez using cinema stock to capture the essence of their favorite films. The series was called 'No Movies' and later inspired their satirical award show. Gutiérrez Senger was drawn to it and pays homage throughout the documentary by featuring a group of young Chicano artists — including local Los Angeles artists like Fabi Reyna and San Cha — in short films inspired by ASCO's signature DIY style. 'I think it's a necessary obligation as a Latino if you're making films to fight very, very hard to put brown people on screen and behind the camera and to try to create films about our history,' said Gutiérrez Senger. 'We have rich stories, and we have a rich history.' 'ASCO: Without Permission' includes testimonials from respected Latino artists, including actor Michael Peña and comedian Arturo Castro, who have broken into the mainstream but know the importance of preserving history. 'Our history as Latinos is not in the history books. The movements that we've had are not in the history books,' Peña says in the documentary. Although it often feels like progression is slow, Valdez says artists need to continue to voice their opinions and 'misbehave and not ask for permission.' 'You do not need permission to be yourself. You do not need permission to be creative. You do not need permission to be intellectual,' said Gamboa. 'And the thing is, you cannot allow yourself to be repressed or silenced and or visually curtailed from presenting works.'
