OC Film Fiesta brings free films and Hollywood stars to Santa Ana

For Immediate Release: September 15, 2011
Contact: Sandra Peña Sarmiento, Tel: 714-417-0073

OC Film Fiesta Brings Free Films and Hollywood Stars to Santa Ana

Latino Festival Continues with Disney, Zorro, White Knight and John Ford Classic

(Santa Ana, CA) The OC Film Fiesta in Santa Ana continues its cinematic celebration of Orange County’s cultural diversity and rich Latino history with free screenings through Sunday, September 18. The final weekend’s screenings will coincide with Santa Ana’s Fiestas Patrias celebration, which draws more than 250,000 people to the city’s vibrant downtown.

This year’s Film Fiesta, which began on September 3, features fun family screenings, insightful documentaries, classic films and movie stars. Among the films that will be screened this week are Harlistas: An American Journey, a moving documentary about Latino Harley Davidson riders; The Storm that Swept Mexico, an epic documentary about the Mexican Revolution by 2011 NLCR Alma Award-winning filmmaker Ray Telles; and John Ford’s 1947 classic The Fugitive, which features stunning cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa and stars Dolores del Rio, Pedro Armendariz and Henry Fonda.

The classic Walt Disney animated feature The Three Caballeros will be presented on Saturday at noon at the Santa Ana Central Library, located at 26 Civic Center Plaza in downtown Santa Ana.

The Film Fiesta concludes on Sunday at 8:45pm with a red carpet screening of the new comedy White Knight, which stars Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) as a jailed Ku Klux Klan leader who learns some lessons about tolerance from his Mexican farm labor organizer cellmate played by Nacho Libre’s Hector Jimenez. The film also stars Stacy Keach, Kevin Farley and Olga Segura.

Jimenez, Segura, Farley and the film’s director Jesse Baget will be in attendance for the free red carpet screening of White Knight, which takes place Sunday, September 18 at 8:45pm at the historic Yost Theater, which is located at 307 N. Spurgeon in Santa Ana.

This year’s festival also included screenings of John J. Valadez’s Imagen Award-winning civil rights documentary The Longoria Affair; Douglas Fairbanks’ 1920 silent classic The Mark of Zorro; and a night of Vietnamese films co-presented by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA).

Launched in 2010, the OC Film Fiesta provides an important cultural celebration for the families and residents of Santa Ana as well as patrons from around the county. Working with community organizations and local businesses, the OC Film Fiesta celebrates Santa Ana’s vibrant Latino heritage through free screenings at historically significant venues in the heart of downtown Santa Ana.

The OC Film Fiesta in Santa Ana is presented by the City of Santa Ana. Sponsors include: MXLive, The Yost, OC Weekly, NBCUniversal, Telemundo, the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society, Original Mike’s, Calacas, Robert Escalante’s Custom Auto Service, VAALA, Stay Connected, Mexican Consulate in Santa Ana, OCGente.com, Top Finish, Centro Cultural de Mexico, Espacio Alternativo, Memphis Café and AztecGoldTV.com. Produced by Pocharte.

For more information about the OC Film Fiesta or interview opportunities, email info@ocfilmfiesta.org or call 714-417-0073.

For a complete schedule and downloadable venue map, visit www.ocfilmfiesta.org.

# # #