Chicana is a 1979 short documentary film by director Sylvia Morales overviewing the history of the Chicana figure from the pre-Columbian era to the Chicano Movement. [1] The film has a run time of 22 minutes. [2]
The film is often discussed among other Chicano films as a Chicana perspective on film. [3] In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." [4] [5]
Sylvia Morales made the film while she was a student at UCLA. [2] The film has been referred to the first documentary done through a Chicana feminist lens. [2]
A review for the Los Angeles Times referred to it as "well-researched and [a] spirited documentary made with much love." [1] [5]
Chicana was preserved and restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from a 16mm reversal print and 16mm magnetic track. Restoration funding was provided by the National Film Preservation Foundation and the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The restoration had its Los Angeles premiere at the 2024 UCLA Festival of Preservation. [6]