by Eugene Hernandez (June 24, 2007)
Maura Colorado,
Lupe Hernandez, and
Maria Pineda (left to right), subjects of "
Made in LA," a new documentary about three Latina immigrants fighting against unfair wages and work conditions in the Los Angeles garment industry, were on hand for Saturday's emotional free community screening of the film at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Fresh from a world premiere at the recent
Silverdocs festival in Maryland, the film stirred a standing ovation for the activists who battled apparel company Forever 21 for three years. Director, producer and cinematographer
Almundena Carracedo and producer
Robert Behar spent some four years funding the film with money from personal donors before securing financing from PBS' POV doc series. The film will air on television nationally the day after Labor Day -- Tuesday, September 4th -- with bilingual subtitles. [Eugene Hernandez]