A Los Angeles story lost and found

Watch Chavez Ravine. I made a short documentary film in 2003. It gets less attention than my other project that wrapped that year (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), but it's close to my heart, and I think it holds up well. Chavez Ravine, site of Dodger Stadium, was once home to a closely-knit Mexican-American community overlooking downtown Los Angeles—until 1950, when its residents were evicted in what came to be viewed as a historic injustice. In my 26-minute film, black-and-white photographs of the neighborhood, taken by Don Normark in 1949 before it vanished, spark the reminiscences of former residents—and city planner Frank Wilkinson, who explains how the anti-Communist hysteria of the period made the Chavez Ravine boondoggle possible. Cheech Marin (of Cheech & Chong) narrates; Ry Cooder contributed a wonderful musical score featuring Lalo Guerrero. Last Express alumni Tomi Pierce, Mark Moran, and Andy Anderson all lent their time and talents. As a self-funded indie film, we…