At a recent sold-out screening of the film “Born in East LA,” comedy legend Cheech Marin talked about the film's impact and its relevance in today’s political climate, especially in the discourse surrounding immigration.
Marin, who wrote, directed and starred in the film along with Paul Rodriguez, Daniel Stern and the late Lupe Ontiveros, recalled the inspiration behind it: a true story of an American citizen who is deported from the U.S. to Mexico.
“It was taken from a true story. A young kid, I think he was 13 or 12 or something like that. And he didn't speak English that well, didn't speak Spanish that well either. And he was caught in an immigration raid," he said.
The young man was deported to Tijuana, Marin said, and wandered the streets for over a month before anybody knew where he was.
"And I was reading this story in the newspaper and the Bruce Springsteen song was playing on the radio at the same time. And I started (singing) 'He was born in East LA.' And I was like, 'That’s it, that’s it,'" he said.
'From then until now'
Marin retold the origin of the story during a tribute in his honor at this year’s San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF). He also compared the landscape of immigration when the film was first released back in the 1980s to now.
“It has not changed. The story has not changed from then until now,” Marin said.
But he also offered hope.
“All you have to do to change that is to go out and vote," he said. "So get everybody that you know to get up and go out and vote. We're in a very dangerous precipice right now, and it's going to take all of us to get out and make that vote."
Cheech and Chong's legacy
San Diego resident David Vega was the first person in line for the screening of the film on Sunday and shared what it meant to him.
“I couldn't tell you how many times I've watched this film. It's probably in the hundreds. It's one of those movies where, if I want to laugh, this is my movie to go to,” Vega said.
Marin surprised the audience with an announcement that a new Cheech and Chong movie is in the works. And the iconic counterculture duo is expected to start the project sometime in the next few months. They also recently completed a documentary about their lives and influence on pop culture.
He also put in a plug for a new film he stars in along with several other actors — including, Jay Hernandez and Dennis Quaid — “The Long Game,” which also screened at this year’s SDLFF. The film is based on an inspirational true story about five young Mexican-American caddies from Texas during the 1950s. They face discrimination while playing and competing in high school golf.
“It was a story of overcoming all those obstacles and to go on to win the state championship. Because given the chance, Latinos can accomplish anything that anybody else can," Marin said. "That wasn't a big shock to us, but it was a big shock to everybody else.”
The film is expected to be in theaters next month.
Champion of the arts
The comic genius is also a longtime collector of Chicano/a/x art, an endeavor that has helped elevate artwork by Chicano/a/x artists and led to the creation of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside. He talked about the significance of the museum’s opening.
“It was a question of not having your own museum or being excluded from other museums," he said. "In one big leap, we accomplished that to have our culture represented."
Marin said when he was first approached about a partnership for the creation of the museum he looked for signs before committing.
“I was walking with the director of the museum, and I said, 'how big is this building?' And because it was a pretty big building, she says, 'Well, it's 66,420 square feet' — 420, that was it. That’s the sign” he said.
Lifetime of achievements
After the screening of “Born in East LA,” he was honored for his many accomplishments and contributions to the Chicano/a/x, Latino/a/x community.
"San Diego, I've been to this town many, many, many times and I love it," Marin said. "I have a lot of friends here, so it's always nice to come back here, but to be honored by the community, it's a great thrill."
Marin was given a tribute award created and presented by Melody De Los Cobos, an artist and “Arte Latino,” gallery curator for the SDLFF, which provides arts programming and showcases artwork of local artists.
"We wanted to present you with a tribute award for everything you've done for the Latino community, for the creatives," De Los Cobos said to Marin during a presentation, after the screening of the film. "And this is made with lots of love and a lot of admiration for your body of work and for you."
