“¡Si Se Puede!/Yes we can!” is the rallying cry made famous by human rights activist Dolores Huerta, also the Executive Producer of the award-winning documentary, Backstreet to the American Dream. The slogan highlights everyday life for hard-working Mexican immigrants and American entrepreneurs in the food truck industry. This 90-minute feature takes a modern-day look at the classic American Dream through this quintessential 21st Century entrepreneurial endeavor, food trucks! Through deeply personal stories, you’ll trace the two-billion-dollar global phenomenon from the world stage back to its humble beginnings at swap meets and back allies of blue-color Los Angeles.
This bilingual film follows the journey of two food trucks: one a family-run food truck El Pescadito, a seafood lunch truck, that’s been operating in the same spot near South L.A. since 1982 and the gourmet burger truck, Grill ‘Em All, which won the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race in 2010. These opposing operations, in the same city, provide a window into pop culture and family traditions, formal and informal economies, and the ongoing struggle for social justice in immigrant communities.
This story about the everyday lives of Mexican immigrants, who laid the foundation of the global food truck phenomenon, makes its South Central U.S. premiere. Executive Producer Dolores Huerta, Mexican soda company Jarritos, and filmmaker/journalist Patricia Nazario present this 90-minute feature documentary; a modern-day look at the classic American Dream.
Backstreet to the American Dream depicts the perseverance, resilience and tenacity of immigrants and first-generation Latino/Latina/Latinx individuals fighting for their place of inclusion in the U.S. Beyond the Black Lives Matter movement, themes include immigration, sharing culture through food, and street food as the ultimate ambassador of diversity.
In December 2021, Backstreet to the American Dream was a Finalist in the Ruben Salazar National Journalism Award. In October 2021, the immigrant advocacy organization, Make The Road NY, partnered with Backstreet to the American Dream to promote workers’ rights at the 10th Annual Workers Unite Film Festival at Cinema Village in New York’s East Village. The 2021 world premiere of Backstreet to the American Dream in Hollywood at the Dances With Films Festival sold out, and it was the only film to get an encore screening!
Catch the San Antonio showing this Wednesday, August 3rd, 3:00 – 5:00 pm, at Radius Center, 106 Auditorium Circle #120, San Antonio, Texas.
