Song for Cesar is a documentary film with a unique view of the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. The film tells a previously untold story about the musicians and artists who dedicated their time, creativity and even reputations to peacefully advance Cesar Chavez's movement to gain equality and justice for America's suffering farmworkers.
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 formation of the union, to his death in 1993. It includes newsreel footage of the Delano grape boycott, Senate hearings conducted by Robert F. Kennedy, Chavez's fasts, encounters with growers and rival Teamsters. Recent interviews with Chavez family members, Ethyl Kennedy, Roger Cardinal Mahony, Governor Jerry Brown, and current and past UFW leaders round out the history and assessment of Chavez and the Union.
Interviews with celebrities such as Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Dennis Hopper and Willie Nelson examine the remarkable career of actor-performer Kris Kristofferson, who successfully bridged the gap between Hollywood and Nashville. From his mastery of the "New Nashville" sound on his 1972 album "Jesus Was a Capricorn" to his role in the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Kristofferson has shown an agility that's hard to match.
