Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography
Related Material
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Isaac Artenstein Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1983 - 1990
Collection number: 86
Creator: Isaac Artenstein
1954-
Extent:
Approx. 10 linear feet
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
Chicano Studies Research Center, UCLA
Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
Abstract: This collection of papers, film and video
relates mainly to the motion picture director Isaac Artenstein's
production of Break of Dawn, his biographical film about the life and
times of Pedro J. Gonzalez. Researchers who would like to indicate
errors of fact or omissions in this finding aid can contact the research
center at www.chicano.ucla.edu
Physical location: Currently stored at the UCLA Chicano
Studies Research Center Archive. In the future this collection will be
stored off site at the UCLA Southern Regional Library Facility. Film and
video materials are stored at the UCLA Film and Television Archive
offices. If you wish to access one of our special collections, please
contact us before you visit, as we may need time to retrieve the
materials.
Language of Material: Collection materials in English
, Spanish
Access
Collection is open for research.To view the collection or any part of
it, please contact the CSRC at http://www.chicano.ucla.edu/
Publication Rights
For students and faculty researchers of UCLA, all others by
permission only. Copyright has not been assigned to the Chicano Studies
Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist and/or the
Librarian at the Chicano Studies Research Center Library. Permission for
publication is given on behalf of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research
Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be
obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Isaac Artenstein Papers, 86, Chicano
Studies Research Center, UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles.
Acquisition Information
Collection donated by Isaac Artenstein to the UCLA Chicano Studies
Research Center Library Archive. Deed on file at the archive office.
Biography
Isaac Artenstein studied painting and photography at UCLA and film
and video production at Cal Arts. He wrote and directed the feature film
Break of Dawn (1990), a biography of Pedro J. Gonzalez, a pioneer of Los
Angeles' Spanish-language radio in the 1930s, which premiered at
Sundance and was later shown on Telemundo and the BBC. He produced the
romantic comedy Love Always (1996) which aired on the Lifetime Channel,
the thriller Bloody Proof (2000) for Univision, and the social satire A
Day Without A Mexican (2004). Artenstein has also directed and/or
produced a number of award-winning documentaries, including Diana
Kennedy: Cuisines of Mexico (1981) and Ballad of an Unsung Hero (1983),
as well as In the Name of the People (1985), narrated by Martin Sheen.
He has taught film production and directing at the University of
Southern California and the University of California at San Diego, and
was a founding member of the Border Arts Workshop in San Diego.
Currently, Artenstein is developing a feature film based on his 1991
play Under a Brilliant Sky, about the photographers Tina Modotti and
Edward Weston. His documentary Tijuana Jews had its premiere at the San
Diego Jewish Film Festival in February 2005.
Related Material
The Pedro J. Gonzalez Papers
This independent feature film, produced during what has come to be
known as the "Hispanic Decade," dramatizes the true story of Pedro J.
González, the first Spanish-language radio host and recording
star of 1930s Los Angeles, who was framed by the District Attorney's
office and sent to San Quentin. Starring Oscar Chávez,
María Rojo, Tony Plana, and Pepe Serna. The film was nominated
for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1988. A former
telegraph operator for Pancho Villa, Gonzales comes with his wife to the
United States to escape the political turmoil and economic hardships of
life in Mexico. He manages to launch his own radio program in Los
Angeles, "Los Madrugadores." It is not long before the corrupt district
attorney, in his bid for re-election, buys airtime on Gonzalez show. The
Spanish advertisements, read by the now-famous Gonzalez, turn out to be
instrumental in mobilizing the Hispanic vote and ensuring the
re-election of the district attorney. However, as the depression
deepens, the Latino community becomes an easy scapegoat for the local
right wing. Over half a million Latino workers, whose presence had been
crucial in building the Californian economy, are deported. Gonzalez
begins attending rallies and he uses his radio show to protest the
treatment of Latinos. Suddenly, he is viewed as a threat by the
establishment, which decides to silence him.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Break of Dawn
Echido
Isaac Artenstein
Latino filmmaker
Los Madrugadoras
Pancho Villa
Pedro J. Gonzalez
Spanish language broadcasting