“This year we’re able to celebrate and award a film about the great Luis Valdez, who already has wonderful films on the National Film Registry. He is a national treasure, a kind of sage and wise man of unbelievable proportions. In a recent ceremony, I got to present the prize to him, got to know him and see up close what an extraordinary human being he is.” Ken Burns (2025)
I have such admiration for Ken Burns. The research, care and detailed work that he and his team put into each film is an inspiring educational journey that is a master class in history and documentary filmmaking.
I spoke with Ken earlier this week about his research and approach for his latest film series, “The American Revolution,” a body of work that took 10 years to complete. He and his team utilized the collections of over 400 archives, institutions and libraries, including the Library of Congress.
For seven years now, the Library of Congress has partnered with Ken Burns, Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine and The Better Angels Society to support documentary filmmakers with grants to complete their filmmaking visions.
The Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film is an annual national prize that provides recognition and resources for exemplary documentary films that tell compelling stories about American history.
The Librarian of Congress chairs a national jury of esteemed scholars, filmmakers and storytellers, who narrow the selections, and in consultation with Ken Burns, selects the annual winner.
I was particularly interested and excited to hear that this year’s winning documentary focuses on the life and career of Luis Valdez. Directed by David Alvardo, “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” chronicles the extraordinary life of Valdez from a farm worker in Delano, California, to starting a theatre company, success on Broadway and becoming a respected filmmaker.
Luis currently has three films on the National Film Registry: “I am Joaquin” added in 2010, “La Bamba” added in 2017 and “Zoot Suit” added in 2019.
In the summer of 2021, I spoke with Luis about his life, his family and his journey from farmworker to filmmaker. He is a thoughtful man who cares about his heritage and giving back to the community he loves. You can read the interview to get a deeper sense of his story and why this documentary and his life are so important to our American history and film heritage.
In the film, Alvarado weaves together previously unseen archival materials and the journey of the successes and failures in the long career of Luis Valdez. The themes of family, creativity and personal resilience resonate throughout the film, which features extensive interviews with Valdez and is narrated by Edward James Olmos, who starred in the original production of “Zoot Suit.”
The filmmakers also worked with University of California, Santa Barbara to digitize over 80,000 feet of never-before-seen footage of El Teatro Campesino. The footage was deteriorating and at risk of being permanently lost.
The Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film is made possible through the incredible generosity of Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine, who had the wisdom and the willingness to see that an understanding of history is critical to understanding our world today. The Lavines recognize that these documentary films may be about the past, but they are the way of the future when it comes to how the next generation of Americans will learn their history.
To learn more about “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” and the 2025 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film visit www.loc.gov.
If you are a documentary filmmaker interested in learning more and submitting your work for consideration, visit The Better Angels Society.
For more information about any Library of Congress holdings, please Ask a Librarian, and if you plan to come in to view or listen to any collection items, please reach out to our reference staff in the Moving Image Research Center and the Recorded Sound Research Center