Blog written by Cecelia Lawless, Spanish, Cornell University

John Valadez is back in Ithaca with his latest film La Onda Chicana.

It is with great enthusiasm that the Cornell/Ithaca/FLEFF communities welcome back John Valadez, the award-winning director who has been producing documentaries for the last ten years.

His film The Last Conquistador has become part of the Spanish curriculum at Cornell. He has established a firm fan base through his appearances at FLEFF, Cornell and Ithaca College.

Now, on Wednesday September 30th, John will present his latest film La Onda Chicana at Uris Hall 7:00 pm on the Cornell campus.

After viewing the 52 minute film, the audience can experience John's charismatic presence during a question and answer session. Articulate and knowledgeable, Valadez is a thoroughly engaging speaker. John's many accomplishments speak for themselves: he has been a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow twice, is a Rockefeller Fellow, and serves on the Artists Advisory Board of the New York Foundation for the Arts. He is also a founding member of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers(NALIP). He attended the film program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

La Onda Chicana is an insightful film that traces the evolution of Mexican-American music as Chicano artists struggle to move from the fringes of American society to the national stage. The film explores the musical innovations-- such as Chicano Rock, Tejano, conjunto, country, and  norteño --that would galvanize the Chicano movement to the top of the charts with Ritchie Valens, Freddy Fender, Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, and Selena. 　La Onda Chicana will be featured in the upcoming PBS series "Latin Music USA."

Join us to welcome back John Valdez---and to experience his film La Onda Chicana.