Local Spotlight

This selection of fascinating documentaries highlights a diverse range of topics related to life in the Coachella Valley.

Invisible Valley

USA, 2021, 87 minutes

Wednesday, January 12 • 7:00 pm • MP Saturday, January 15 • 11:30 am • PSHS

This vivid documentary spotlights the Coachella Valley’s diverse population and reveals a place that is far more than just the home of the Salton Sea, the eponymous annual music festival and the agricultural bounty it produces.

Director: Aaron Maurer

With: Maricela Daisy, Yaqueline, Gloria Gomez, Claudia Castorena, Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad

Desert X 2021 - The Film

Desert X 2021 – The Film

USA, 2021, 56 minutes

Friday, January 14 • 7:00 pm • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 3:00 pm • REG

This awe-inspiring documentary grants audiences an all-access pass to the Coachella Valley’s recent Desert X exhibition, which features dazzling and surreal large-scale works by various artists intended to confront and challenge historical and societal truths.

Director: Dylan Robertson

With: Neville Wakefield, César García-Alvarez, Zahrah Alghamdi, Ghada Amer, Felipe Baeza, Serge Attukwei Clottey

Pepe Serna: Life is Art

Pepe Serna: Life is Art

USA, 2022, 60 minutes

Friday, January 7 • 1:30 pm • PSHS Saturday, January 15 • 2:00 pm • CAM World Premiere

Groundbreaking Mexican-American character actor Pepe Serna finally takes the spotlight in Luis Reyes’ joyous ode to Serna’s life and the hundred-plus charismatic scene-stealing roles that paved the way for generations of Chicanx actors in Hollywood and beyond.

Director: Luis Reyes

With: Pepe Serna, Edward James Olmos, Eva Longoria, Richard “Cheech” Marin, Robert Beltran

My Name is Lopez

My Name Is Lopez

USA, 2021, 98 minutes

Saturday, January 8 • 2:30 pm • PSHS Sunday, January 16 • 1:30 pm • CAM

With a treasure trove of rich archival footage and lively interviews, directors P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes present a colorful, touching portrait of legendary performer and cultural groundbreaker Trini Lopez, who rose from humble Texan origins to become an unforgettable international superstar.

Director: P. David Ebersole, Todd Hughes

With: Trini Lopez, Tony Orlando, Dionne Warwick, Jim Brown, Dave Grohl, Joan Gand

Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea

Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea

USA, 2020, 78 minutes

Tuesday, January 11 • 11:00 am • ANN Wednesday, January 12 • 2:45 pm • MP

Once a resort destination for water skiers and bird watchers, the Salton Sea is now a desolate area triggering far-reaching environmental and public health concerns. This informative and poignant documentary outlines what happened to the “sportsman’s paradise,” and what can be done to save it.

Director: Greg Bassenian

With: Ben Beal, Linda Beal, Michael J. Cohen, Michelle Dugan, Art Gertz, Lana Hall