Luis Valdez

La Bamba -- Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of singer Ritchie Valens whose life was cut short by a plane crash.

Part fascinating fact, part dazzling fiction, Zoot Suit is the blistering film adaptation of playwright Luis Valdez' critically acclaimed stage drama based on the "zoot suit riots" that rocked 1940s Los Angeles. When barrio leader Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez) and a group of his friends are unjustly convicted on circumstantial evidence and sent to San Quentin, activist lawyers Alice Bloomfield (Tyne Daly) and George Shearer (Charles Aidman) fight the blatant racially motivated miscarriage of justice to win Henry and his friends their freedom. Featuring Edward James Olmos (as the mythical "Pachuco") in the role that catapulted him to stardom, Zoot Suit is a scorchingly searing and seductively provocative work that skillfully blends action, drama, romance and music!

The life of rock & roll legend Ritchie Valens bursts across the screen in this celebrated, music-filled movie with star-making performances by Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie and Esai Morales as his half-brother, Bob. La Bamba depicts the 17-year-old Mexican-American's rocket rise to fame, from field laborer to rock star with a string of hit singles and a date with destiny. Fueled by Valens' hit songs performed by the Grammy-winning Los Lobos as well as classic '50s tunes, La Bamba recreates the thrilling early days of rock and pays homage to the enduring legacy of a remarkable talent whose music crossed all borders.

La Bamba depicts Ritchie Valens' rocket rise to fame, from field laborer to rock star with a string of hit singles and a date with destiny.