FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A Fresno filmmaker is bringing a deeply personal story to the big screen next weekend: one rooted in the fields of the Central Valley, and inspired by his own family’s history.

Gonzalo Alatorre, a Fresno native and the son of immigrant farmworkers, is premiering his short film The Chicano Story at the historic Crest Theatre on Saturday. February 21.

Behind the scene from ‘The Chicano Story’ (Courtesy: Gonzalo Alatorre)

The film follows three generations of Mexican farmworking families in the Central Valley, spanning the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Alatorre says the project reflects both his upbringing and the lived experiences of thousands of families across the region.

“I live here in Fresno and I saw all the workers and I used to be one of those workers when I was a little kid,” Alatorre said.

He currently works in concrete, but says filmmaking has always been his dream.

“I do concrete for a living, but that’s not my dream,” he said. “So I wanted to do a story on my culture.”

Alatorre says the goal of The Chicano Story is to preserve a history he believes is often overlooked.

A lot of us drive around here, and there’s fields, and there’s people working but nobody takes a look at them,” he said. “That’s where I wanna come in and tell their story and tell our story.

The film highlights the migration of Mexican families to the Central Valley and the agricultural labor that helped shape the region’s economy and identity.

My father, myself and my grandfather they all worked the fields here in the Central Valley,

Alatorre said.

To me, this is Fresno history, and I don’t want them to be forgotten.

The project was produced entirely in Fresno, featuring local actors and filmed at locations across the city. Production was based out of a small Fresno studio, where Alatorre worked alongside producer Khetphet “KP” Phagnasay.

Phagnasay, a Fresno based actor and studio owner, says the film’s themes of family and perseverance resonate beyond one community.

“Everyone thinks I gotta move to L.A.,” Phagnasay said. “But I wanna show people you can do it as long as you can do the work.”

“This isn’t just Mexican-American history, this is American history,” he said.

The Chicano Story premieres Saturday at the Crest Theatre in downtown Fresno. The event is free to the public.