Peter Bratt's family drama La Mission, about the relationship between an ex-con (Benjamin Bratt, above) and his gay son (Jeremy Ray Valdez), will open the 2009 edition of the Artivist Film Festival, which runs Dec. 1-5 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
The synopsis below is from the Artivist website:
"Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, La Mission is a story of redemption imbued with the curative power of Aztec tradition. Feared, yet respected, as the baddest Chicano on the block, Che (Benjamin Bratt), a reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, resorts to violence and intimidation to get what he wants. A bus driver by day, Che lives for his beloved son, Jesse, his lifelong friends, and his passion for lowrider cars. Che and the “Mission Boyz” salvage junked cars, transforming them into classics. Che’s macho world is crushed when he discovers that Jesse’s been living a secret Gay life that he could never accept. Lena, Che’s attractive neighbor and a force to be reckoned with, is a woman with a few secrets of her own. Mutual attraction percolates as Lena challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had."
Also in the La Mission cast: Erika Alexander, Jesse Borrego, Talisa Soto Bratt.
This year's Artivist festival will screen more than 40 short and feature films from around the globe. As per its website, the festival's mission is "to strengthen the voice of advocate artists … while raising public awareness for social global causes."
Artivist will also honor "those artists whose exemplary work in their community stands out as a shining example of one person's ability to change the world for the better." Past Artivist Award recipients include: Ted Danson, Alyssa Milano, Joaquin Phoenix, Matthew McConaughey, Mira Sorvino, James Cromwell, Ed Begley Jr, Tippi Hedren, and Mike Farrell.
