This new program series of unique live events debuts in Spring 2026. Explore the past and present of cuisine, dance, music, theatre, and film at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture through these exciting immersive programs.
Points of Departure is an exciting new program series celebrating the full spectrum of Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) as a place of innovation and discovery, a personal port of embarkation for its community and a window on the world.
Each inaugural program focuses on past and present residents, artists, organizations, and events that have played key roles at Fort Mason and in San Francisco, celebrating the vibrant past, present, and future of FMCAC as it charts a course toward its 50th anniversary in 2027. Points of Departure is curated by Brad Rosenstein, Associate Curator of Public Programs.
The inaugural season of Points of Departure concludes with the San Francisco premiere of the award-winning new documentary American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez, directed by David Alvarado and narrated by Edward James Olmos (Insignia Films, 92 minutes).
AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ — Film screening followed by an onstage conversation with LUIS VALDEZ and director DAVID ALVARADO
Thursday, June 11, 2026 – 7:00-9:00 pm @ Cowell Theater, Pier 2
Admission: Free-$60, sliding scale
SAN FRANCISCO PREMIERE
World Premiere, 2026 Sundance Film Festival – Winner, Audience Award
The film chronicles the life and career of playwright, director, and filmmaker Luis Valdez, known as the father of Chicano theater. The screening is followed by an on-stage conversation with Luis Valdez and director David Alvarado.
American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez explores how Valdez transformed the American cultural landscape by bringing Chicano stories from the farm fields of Delano, CA to Broadway and Hollywood. It covers his founding of El Teatro Campesino alongside the United Farm Workers, as well as the creation of his iconic works Zoot Suit and La Bamba.
Although his work has achieved international renown, Valdez has been closely identified with Northern California throughout his career. He is an alumnus of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and his company El Teatro Campesino (based in San Juan Bautista, CA) has frequently performed in San Francisco. Valdez’s plays and films have been seen in multiple venues at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture, including the Cowell Theater where the “Points Of Departure” screening takes place.
Thursday, June 11, 2026
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Cowell Theater, Pier 2, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco
Free to $60 (sliding scale)
American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez
ITVS.org
(415) 356-8383
itvs@ITVS.org
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