“The Fight for Water” Wins Over Critics
AUGUST 26, 2013 — “The Fight for Water: A Farm Worker Struggle”, a documentary based on the historic 2009 march that spanned across the Westside of the California Central Valley to the San Luis Reservoir by farmers and farm workers, won the Best Documentary in Cinematography Runner Up Award and the Best Documentary Political Film Runner Up Award at the Action on Film International Film Festival in Pasadena, California, which ended this past weekend.
The film was also nominated for Best Documentary, Best Cinematography Feature and for The Sony Software Award for “Excellence in Filmmaking” in a Major Genre.
The festival showcased the works of independent writers, producers, directors and actors from around the world in all genres.
Furthermore, “The Fight For Water” has been selected to screen internationally alongside some renowned environmental films from around the world later this year at the 6th Annual Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival in Malaysia. Additional screenings are planned in the U.S. and, in particular, California.
The Northern California Living Series Magazines reviewed the film and called it, “Compelling… A ‘must see’ film!” It also won an Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Los Angeles Movie Awards.
Juan Carlos Oseguera, a San Francisco State University alumnus, is a published film critic and has won awards in writing, producing and directing.
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| Juan Carlos Oseguera |
Raised in the California Central Valley by parents who were migrant farmworkers, Oseguera set out to film the 2009 march and document the farm workers’ struggle as a lesson to be learned and a voice to be heard.
Multitalented, Oseguera produced, directed, wrote, shot, and edited the film, the first feature-length documentary under his production studio, Filmunition.
The documentary features two Latino farmers, Joe Del Bosque and George Delgado, who describe how federal water measures contributed to fields going dry in 2009 in the Westside of the California Central Valley while refuges that protect a threatened fish received all of the water designated for the Westside.
This diversion of water affected their community tremendously; the governor declared the area a disaster and the state provided food assistance to over 200,000 farm workers who lost their jobs.
Oseguera uncovered class, social and environmental intricacies behind water access and distribution in California, and the ripple effect it has on all of us.
Hollywood actor Paul Rodriguez, who helped organize the water march in the style of Cesar Chavez, is featured for his activism in this cause. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also appears on the film.
Los Angeles area music composer Benjamin Coria and California Central Valley musicians, Dustin Morris and Eric Vega, contributed to the film’s emotional score. Coria is a trained pianist, orchestrator and composer who has scored numerous award-winning film projects. His work can be heard in the documentary film, Bet Raise Fold (2013). He currently produces music for Access Hollywood and Inside Edition.
Dustin Morris is singer and songwriter who has scored short films and is a member of the rock band Solar Powered People, which has a large following in Europe. Eric Vega composed “Se Me VA”, “The Fight For Water” film’s thematic song, exclusively for the film. A songwriter, singer and stage performer, Vega has produced music albums of his own and for other artists. He recently performed at the L.A. Comedy Festival.
For additional information about the film and film screenings, visit:
For filmmaker interviews or to book film screenings, contact filmunition@yahoo.com or call (209) 675-2988.
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