Finding Aid for the Alturas Films Records, 1958-2000 CSRC.2018.009
Doug Johnson
Chicano Studies Research Center Library
July 2018
144 Haines Hall
Box 951544
Los Angeles, California 90095-1544
librarian@chicano.ucla.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Chicano Studies Research Center Library
Title: Alturas Films Records
Creator:
Tejada-Flores, Rick
Identifier/Call Number: CSRC.2018.009
Physical Description:
5.4 Linear Feet
(5 record storage cartons; 1 flat box)
Date (inclusive): 1958-2000
Abstract: Alturas Films is a film production company based in Emeryville, CA that was founded by Rick Tejada-Flores. The collection
consists of material on produced films as well as unrealized projects. There are also office files, and some material on various
college courses.
Language of Material: Material is in English and Spanish.
Physical Location: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Library
and Archive for paging information.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Rick Tejada-Flores, 2015.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series 1. Produced films
- Series 2. Unrealized films
- Series 3. General files
Biographical / Historical
Alturas Films is a film production company based in Emeryville, Californis. Founded by Rick Tejada-Flores, it specializes
in documentaries that focus on overlooked topics in Latino and Latin American culture, many of which were broadcast on public
television. Among its films are
Low 'n Slow,
Rivera in America, and
Elvia.
Rick Tejada-Flores was born in Los Angeles around 1945. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he got his first job in the media
working for KQED, the public television station in San Francisco. In 1973, he made his first film, fulfilling the roles of
co-director, cinematographer, and editor on
Si Se Puede!, for the United Farm Workers. Over the years, he has made over a dozen films. During that time, he has worked in various
capacities in a number of public televsion stations, and he has taught at several California colleges.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Alturas Films Records, 2018.009, Chicano Studies Research Center, University of California, Los
Angeles.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists mostly of material on produced films, as well as unrealized projects. Most of the produced films were
broadcast on public television. There are grant proposals, scripts, transcripts, budget material, correspondence, research
material, and publicity material. Films with significant holdings are
Elvia (about Honduran civil rights activist Elvia Alvarado),
Jasper Johns: Ideas in Paint, and
Low 'n Slow (about Chicano lowrider culture). There is a great deal of material on the films made for the long-running American Encounters
exhibit at the Smithsonian. There is also significant material on
Nuestros Hijos, a film made for the California Human Development Corporation. In the Unproduced Films files, there is material for a project
on Ruben Blades. In the General Files, there are documents related to courses taught at various colleges. There is also a
significant amount of material on Channel 35, the television station of San Francisco State University.
Separated Materials
Videotapes and film elements for
Elvia and
Low 'n Slow have been transferred to the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Conditions Governing Use
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user
must assume full responsibility for any use of materials, including but not limited to infringement of copyright and publication
rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documentary-style films
Documentary-style television programs
Public television
Johns, Jasper, 1930-
Lowriders
Smithsonian Institution, American Art Museum
Alvarado, Elvia
Blades, Ruben
Alturas Films
American Encounters (National Museum of American History, 1993)
Arrangement
Script material is listed first in chronological order, followed by other files in alphabetical order.
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains material on several short films about New Mexico produced for the American Encounters exhibition at
the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution.
Box 1, Folder 1
"Indian Resistance" - notes, outlines, and script pages
1990-1991
Box 1, Folder 2
"Hispanic Resistance" - scripts and script notes
1991-1992
Box 1, Folder 3
"Voices" - scripts and outlines
1992
Box 1, Folder 4
Scripts and treatments
1993
Scope and Contents
Also includes budgets and shooting schedule.
Box 1, Folder 5
Scripts and script notes
1993-1994
Box 1, Folder 9
Correspondence
1992-1994
Scope and Contents
Includes: script notes; correspondence regarding budgets and post-production costs; program notes, in Spanish, for
Si, Se Puede! for a screening at the Smithsonian, along with critiques of the Spanish translation.
Box 1, Folder 10
Interview transcripts
1991
Box 1, Folder 11
Ledgers
1992
Scope and Contents
Contains records of expenditures for the entire American Encounters exhibition at the Smithsonian.
Box 1, Folder 12
New Mexico articles
1974-1991
Scope and Contents
Includes: "The Tierra Baldias: Community Property and Public Lands in 16th Century Castile" by David Vassberg; "Las Gorras
Blancas of San Miguel County, 1889-1890" by Robert J. Rosenbaum; "The Dance of Montezuma" by Adrian Trevino and Barbara Gilles.
Box 1, Folder 13
New Mexico historical photographs [photocopies]
1992
Scope and Contents
Also includes photocopies of 19th-century surveyor reports.
Box 1, Folder 14
New Mexico pictures and photos [photocopies]
1991-1992
Box 1, Folder 15
Notes and ephemera
1987-1994
Scope and Contents
Includes: handwritten letter and autographed poster from Jose Gonzalez (Puerto Rican musician); Eight Northern Indian Pueblos
1993 Official Visitors Guide; 1987 Directory of La Parroquia de San Antonio de Rio Pecos; "Churches: Symbols of Community"
newsletters from the New Mexico Community Foundation; 9th Annual Rails 'n' Trails Days program; Native Seeds/SEARCH catalog
and newsletter; Arizona Highways magazine, June 1990; color photocopies of children's drawings.
Box 1, Folder 16
Per diem receipts [blank]
undated
Box 1, Folder 18
Releases
1993
Scope and Contents
Contains signed permissions from individuals filmed for the project.
Box 1, Folder 19
Releases - Penasco Elementary School
1993
Scope and Contents
Contains signed permissions for the students at this New Mexico school.
Box 1, Folder 20
Smithsonian correspondence
1991-1992
Scope and Contents
Includes: script notes; memos about a proposed "Hispanic Resistance" film; inventory of the New Mexico State Records Center
and Archive film collection; essay "Reies Lopez Tijerina and New Mexican Land Reform" by Rudy Busto.
Box 1, Folders 21-22
Tape index and interview transcripts
1993
Box 1, Folder 24
"Voices" - transcripts
1991
Scope and Contents
Contains transcripts of filmed interviews.
Elvia, the Fight for Land and Liberty (PBS, 1988)
Box 2, Folder 1
American Film Institute
1987-1988
Box 2, Folder 3
Channel 4
1989
Scope and Contents
Includes license agreement with the British network.
Box 2, Folder 4
Clippings
1987-1988
Language of Material: Clippings are in English, Spanish, and French.
Scope and Contents
Includes material on Elvia Alvarado and Honduras.
Box 2, Folder 7
Food First agreements
1987-1989
Scope and Contents
Contains agreements with The Institute for Food and Development Policy.
Box 2, Folder 8
French version
1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: correspondence with the Montreal organization Groupe de Travail sur le Honduras (Leslie Caron); French synopsis;
it is unclear what involvement Leslie Caron has with this group.
Box 2, Folder 9
Global Exchange distribution
1989
Box 2, Folder 10
IDERA Films
1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: correspondence with the International Development Education Resources Association; distribution agreements; royalty
statement.
Box 2, Folder 11
Latino Consortium
1988-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes agrrements with the Consortium and KCET.
Box 2, Folder 12
Miscellaneous
1988-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: book jacket for
Don't Be Afraid Gringo by Elvia Alvarado; correspondence; receipts and invoices.
Box 2, Folder 13
Miscellaneous
1989-1992
Scope and Contents
Includes: list of winners and participants in San Francisco International Film Festival's Golden Gate Awards Competition,
1989; program for Democracy in Communication video festival, 1992; flyers.
Box 2, Folder 14
Publicity
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes: press kits; posters; stills.
Box 2, Folder 15
Releases and contacts
1987-1988
Scope and Contents
Also includes: list of donors; agreements.
Box 2, Folder 16
Rodriguez, Laura
1987-1988
Language of Material: Letters are in English and Spanish.
Scope and Contents
Contains producer Laura Rodriguez's correspondence with various individuals; includes handwritten letter from and contract
for composer Wendy Blackstone.
Box 2, Folder 19
Family Court
1989
Language of Material: Material is in Spanish and English.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Includes a 5.25" floppy disk; special equipment will be required to view.
Scope and Contents
Contains material on a film contracted out to Alturas Films by the Judicial Council of Californis; includes correspondence;
script drafts; script
Se Van a Divorciar de Nosotros? by Tony Curiel and Catherine Rodriguez-Nieto; footage breakdown.
Box 2, Folder 20
Fight in the Fields (PBS, 1997)
2000
Scope and Contents
Contains Sundance Channel promotional cards.
Box 2, Folder 21
Go Chanting, Libre
1985-1986
Scope and Contents
Includes: Rick Tejada-Flores's contract to edit the film; correspondence; press release; credits; KCRB-TV schedule for March
1986.
Box 2, Folder 22
The Great Depression (PBS, 1993)
1992-1993
Biographical / Historical
The script was not used for the final program, but portions of it were used in the final episode, "Arsenal of Democracy,"
which was directed by Susan Bellows, who is listed here as associate producer.
Scope and Contents
Includes script "Fields of Despair... Cities of Hope!"; script notes; review.
Jasper Johns: Ideas in Paint
Arrangement
Script material is listed first, with the remaining files listed in alphabetical order.
Box 2, Folder 23
Script drafts
1989
Scope and Contents
Also includes editing and music notes.
Box 2, Folder 25
Clippings
1958-1988
Scope and Contents
Contains clippings about Jasper Johns, especially the 1988 exhibit "Jasper Johns Work Since 1974" at the Philadelphia Museum
of Art.
Box 2, Folder 26
Correspondence received
1974-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: handwritten letter from Jasper Johns; letter from Johns prompted by Robert Rauschenberg's concerns about an interview
with Emile de Antonio; letter from Johns saying he didn't really like the film; letter from Hans Namuth declining Rick Tejada-Flores's
offer; handwritten letter from composer Eddie Reyes; letter fom Richard Avedon saying he does not allow his photographs to
be used on television; four letters from Emile de Antonio; handwritten note from Ge Gan-Ru; handwritten letter from Mary Young,
a cousin of Johns', discussing Jasper's relationship with his grandfather and enclosing a 1974 copy of
The Allendale County Citizen with a column of hers discussing her family.
Box 2, Folder 27
Correspondence sent
1988-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: letter to Richard Avedon; four letters to Robert Rauschenberg; two letters to Jasper Johns.
Box 2, Folder 28
Miscellaneous
1988
Scope and Contents
Contains: copy of a letter from Rick Tejada-Flores to Jasper Johns; photographs of apartment interiors, along with some notes
about the suitability of them for filming.
Box 2, Folder 29
Music
1988-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: clippings and biographical information on John Cage, Ge Gan-Ru, and Margaret Leng Tan; poem "Reading John Cage"
by Octavio Paz; mesostic poem "White on Blanco for O.P." by John Cage.
Box 2, Folder 30
Notes
1988
Scope and Contents
Includes: lists of films about Claes Oldenburg and Jasper Johns; contact lists.
Box 2, Folder 31
Other artists
1987-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: article on Frank Stella; gallery brochures; news release about the resignation of the curator of the Philadelphia
Museum of Art; magazine
ROCI (Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange) [in Russian].
Low 'n Slow, the Art of Lowriding (PBS, 1983)
Box 2, Folder 32
Script [annotated]
undated
Language of Material: English and Spanish.
Scope and Contents
Also includes a storyboard.
Box 2, Folder 33
Script
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes dialogue/narration script and Spanish translation.
Box 2, Folder 34
American Federation of Musicians contract
1982
Scope and Contents
Includes: "National Public Television Agreement" booklets; contract with Jorge Santana, et al.
Box 2, Folder 35
Corporation for Public Broadcasting contracts
1982
Scope and Contents
Contains agreements to produce a pilot for
Tierra Incognita.
Box 2, Folder 36
CS Associates
1986
Scope and Contents
Includes: correspondence; distribution agreement; publicity flyer.
Box 2, Folder 38
Film festivals and exhibitions
1984-1986
Scope and Contents
Includes: correspondence and entry information for a variety of film festivals; program for Long Beach Museum of Art exhibition
"Documentary Video: Decades of Change."
Box 2, Folders 40-41
Footage index
undated
Scope and Contents
Also includes English and Spanish narration scripts.
Box 3, Folder 1
Music
1982-1984
Scope and Contents
Includes agreement with Jorge Santana to compose a song for the film.
Box 3, Folder 3
PBS/NPR correspondence
1984
Scope and Contents
Includes material on bilingual broadcsats of the film.
Box 3, Folders 4-7
Periodicals
1978-1983
Scope and Contents
Includes: a variety of magazines about lowrider culture, particularly in the San Jose, CA area, including
Low Rider,
Teen Angels,
Cruisin', and
New Lowrider Bulletin; some flyers and posters for events; certificate of award presented to Rick Tejada-Flores by one of the publishers.
Box 3, Folder 8
Publicity
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes: paste-ups; press kit; stills.
Box 3, Folder 9
Publicity
1984-1985
Scope and Contents
Includes: letters from Rick Tejada-Flores to film critics; press releases; ad copy; invitations to the San Jose premiere;
San Francisco International Film Festival certificate of participation.
Box 3, Folder 10
Ratings and carriage
1984-1987
Scope and Contents
Includes: list of public television stations broadcasting the film; correspondence about
Rivera in America.
Box 3, Folder 13
Up in Smoke (Paramount, 1978)
1982
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence regarding permission to use a clip from the Cheech and Chong film.
Nuestros Hijos
Arrangement
Script material is listed first in chronological order, followed by the remaining files in alphabetical order.
Scope and Contents
Contains material on a video program produced for the California Human Development Corporation on parenting and child abuse
issues for Spanish-speaking migrant farmworkers.
Box 3, Folder 15
Scripts
1988-1989
Language of Material: Scripts are in English and Spanish.
Box 3, Folder 16
Scripts
1989-1990
Scope and Contents
Also includes script notes from the Governor's offiice.
Box 3, Folder 17
AFTRA
1990
Scope and Contents
Includes invoices from actors.
Box 3, Folder 20
Correspondence
1987-1990
Scope and Contents
Includes script and editing notes.
Box 3, Folder 21
Invoices and receipts
1988-1990
Box 3, Folder 22
Proposal
1987
Scope and Contents
Includes: submission guidelines from the California Human Development Corporation; Alturas Films proposal; resumes.
Box 3, Folder 24
Research
1975-1987
Language of Material: Materials are in English and Spanish.
Scope and Contents
Includes brochures and articles on child abuse.
Box 6
Trainer's guide
1991
Scope and Contents
Includes drafts, proofs, and printed study guides.
Box 3, Folder 25
Correspondence
1987-1988
Scope and Contents
Includes email with networks in England and Germany.
Box 3, Folder 26
Grey Advertising contracts
1990
Box 3, Folder 27
Si, Se Puede!
1993
Scope and Contents
Contains flyer and programs for Smithsonian event "Struggle for Justice: A Tribute to Cesar Chavez."
Series 2. Unproduced films
Box 3, Folder 28
Bolivia project
1984
General
This project seems entirely distinct from
My Bolivia.
Scope and Contents
Include: correspondence with
Frontline regarding a proposed film about the Bolivian debt crisis; clipping.
Box 3, Folder 29
Children's drama
1980-1983
Scope and Contents
Includes letters and research for a potential children's program for PBS.
Box 3, Folder 30
Culture Clash
1983-1985
Scope and Contents
Includes: information about the comedy troupe; AFI Independent Filmmaker application.
Box 3, Folder 31
Jose Razo: Harvard Homeboy
1987
Scope and Contents
Includes clippings and correspondence about a Chicano Harvard student who confessed to a series of armed robberies.
Killing Children Who Kill
Box 4, Folder 1
Corporation for Public Broadcasting - grant proposal
undated
Box 4, Folder 2
Research
1987-1989
Scope and Contents
Also includes proposals.
Box 4, Folder 3
Research and correspondence
1980-1989
Box 4, Folder 4
Latin Laugh Tracks
1986-1987
Scope and Contents
Includes: proposals; information on Culture Clash, Marga Gomez and Monica Palacios.
Living Latin
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains material on a proposed series of documentary films for public television. Though the series as a whole
was unrealized, these files contain some material on
Low 'n Slow and
Rivera in America, which would have been repurposed as episodes for the series.
Box 4, Folder 5
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
1980-1985
Scope and Contents
Includes: correspondence; proposals; booklet "El otro lado: una guia para los indocumentados"; flyer "Conozca sus derechos!"
Box 4, Folder 6
Miscellaneous
1983-1985
Scope and Contents
Includes: proposals; clippings for
Low 'n Slow; resumes.
Box 4, Folder 7
Series proposals
1982-1986
Box 4, Folder 8
MALDEF development film
1984
Scope and Contents
Includes: budget; public service announcement scripts.
Box 4, Folder 9
Man Ray
1988-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: clippings; proposal for an episode of
American Masters.
The Night Visitor
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains information on a proposed adaptation of a story by B. Traven.
Box 4, Folder 10
Correspondence
1972-1984
Scope and Contents
Includes: correspondence with
American Playhouse; copy of a letter to Edward James Olmos; synopsis; correspondence with Rosa Elena Lujan, widow of B. Traven; "The B. Traven
Newsletter," vol. 1 nos. 1 and 2.
Box 4, Folder 11
Latin music
circa 1978
Scope and Contents
Includes: list of musical acts in Los Angeles; clippings; story notes; letter from Robert M. Young.
Box 4, Folder 13
The Other Americas
1989
Scope and Contents
Includes proposal and brochure for a ten-part series to be produced by WGBH.
Ruben Blades: Salsa Prophet
Box 4, Folder 14
Clippings and photographs
1984-1985
Scope and Contents
Includes publicity material for Ruben Blades.
Box 4, Folder 15
Correspondence
1984-1985
Scope and Contents
Includes two letters from Ruben Blades, one handwritten.
Box 4, Folder 16
Grant applications
1984-1985
Box 4, Folder 18
Salsa Roots
1982-1983
Scope and Contents
Includes notes and funding requests for a proposed 15-part documentary series.
Stories from Decoto
Arrangement
Script material is listed first, followed by other files in alphabetical order.
Box 4, Folder 20
Contacts
1979-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: booklet "Rural Alameda County: A Bibliography Based on the Collection of the California State University, Hayward
Library" by Ruth Jaeger; program for an event by Comision Honorifica Mexicana, Inc., Union City, CA.
Box 4, Folder 21
Festival 2000
1990
Scope and Contents
Includes: grant application; correspondence; collaborating artist statement from Roberto Bedoya; program for A Tribute to
Gordon Parks; festival newsletter.
Box 4, Folder 22
ITVS grant application
1991
Box 4, Folder 23
ITVS grant application #2
1992
Box 4, Folder 24
Realize Your Energy
1988-1990
Scope and Contents
Includes information on a non-profit organization promoting advancement of people of color and the working class.
Box 4, Folder 25
Zellerbach Family Fund
1977-1990
Scope and Contents
Includes: grant application; photocopies of clippings on
Jasper Johns: Ideas in Paint,
Rivera in America, and
Low 'n Slow; Realize Your Energy tax documents; letter saying the grant had been approved.
Box 4, Folder 26
Tierra Incognita - proposals
undated
Box 4, Folder 27
American Experience (PBS, 1988- )
1986
Scope and Contents
Includes proposal from WGBH, WNET, and KCET to the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Box 4, Folder 28
Amiga
1989
Scope and Contents
Contains paperwork for the purchase of a personal computer.
Box 4, Folder 29
Audio class
1982-1984
Scope and Contents
Includes material from a course at City College of San Francisco, including student work.
Box 4, Folder 30
Audio materials
undated
Scope and Contents
Contains photocopied articles on sound engineering.
Box 4, Folder 31
Baudrillard, Jean - clipping
1988
Box 4, Folder 32
Beta recorder purchase
1985-1986
Box 4, Folder 33
CARA research
1987-1988
Scope and Contents
Includes: timeline; notes;
Time, 1988 July 11 [Edward James Olmos mural on cover].
Box 4, Folder 34
Children of Violence
1982-1983
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence between Rick Tejada-Flores and KQED regarding bias in a program the station aired as part of the series
Crisis to Crisis with Barbara Jordan; correspondence between KQED and the Coaltion for Community Programming on KQED; correspondence between Tejada-Flores and
RCBC in Cotati, CA [RCBC seems to have some connection to the public television station KRCB].
Box 5, Folder 1
Committees and workshops
1982-1984
Scope and Contents
Contains material from several committees and workshops Rick Tejada-Flores participated in, including: Corporation for Public
Broadcasting Open Selection Advisory Panel and the Rocky Mountain Film Center Western States Regional Media Arts Fellowship.
Box 5, Folder 2
Correspondence
1986-1990
Scope and Contents
Includes some discussion of
Low 'n Slow,
The Great Depression, and
American Encounters.
Box 5, Folder 3
Distribution - various
1989-1993
Scope and Contents
Includes material on
Low 'n Slow,
Elvia, and
Rivera in America.
Box 5, Folder 4
Feature budgets
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes proposed budgets for various projects.
Box 5, Folder 5
Field footage logs
undated
Scope and Contents
Contains indexes of tapes; subjects include: Roberto Bedoya, Juan Felipe Herrera, and someone named Rudy [Acuna?].
Box 5, Folder 7
James D. Phelan Art Award in Video
1991
Scope and Contents
Includes invitations to the ceremony honoring Barbara Hammer, Patti Podesta, and Rick Tejada-Flores.
Box 5, Folder 8
Latino Consortium
1980-1982
Scope and Contents
Includes lists of member stations and board of directors.
Box 5, Folder 9
Miscellaneous communications articles
1973-1982
Scope and Contents
Also includes copy from the KQED newsroom, circa 1973.
Box 5, Folder 10
Primer Festival de Cine y Video de Mujeres Latinoamericanas
undated
Scope and Contents
Contains posters for a film festival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Box 5, Folder 11
Quizzes
undated
Scope and Contents
Contains quizzes for what appears to be a course on broadcasting.
Box 5, Folder 12
St. Mary's notes
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes lecture notes and assignments for a course in broadcasting.
Box 5, Folders 13-14
San Francisco State University
1989-1990
Scope and Contents
Contains proposals and other material on the expansion of Channel 35, the university's television station; topics include:
programming, scheduling, staffing, equipment purchases; budget.
Box 5, Folder 15
SFSU Channel 35
1990
Scope and Contents
Contains material on various cultural organizations and performances; includes: clippings and program for play
Fatty by Cintra Wilson [about Fatty Arbuckle]; program for
Candide; program for
I'm on a Mission from Buddha by Lane Nishikawa; flyers for Culture Clash; releases from some of the performers.
Box 5, Folder 16
SFSU Channel 35 - financial
1990
Scope and Contents
Includes: requisitions for equipment; budget information; invoices.
Box 5, Folder 17
SFSU Channel 35 - graphics
1990
Scope and Contents
Contains photographic slides of the number 35 found in various locations.
Box 5, Folder 18
SPC Program Proposals
1982-1985
Scope and Contents
Contains proposals for:
Tierra Incognita;
Living Latin I;
Living Latin II.
Box 5, Folder 19
Teaching materials
1982-1988
Scope and Contents
Includes material relating to college courses taught by Rick Tejada-Flores.
Box 5, Folder 20
TV production
1982
Scope and Contents
Contains course materials.
