Director Travis Gutiérrez Senger documents 15 years of ASCO, the groundbreaking East Los Angeles-based Chicano art collective, in his latest documentary ASCO: Without Permission. Active during the 70s and 80s, the trailblazing group comprised School of Art faculty Harry Gamboa Jr., Patssi Valdez, Glugio “Gronk” Nicandro, and Willie Herrón III.
Executive produced by actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, the film had its premiere at SXSW in March. Chronicling the collective and its collaborators, the film features ASCO works such as Spray Paint LACMA, a bold rebuttal of the notion that only certain artists are allowed to exhibit their works in museums, and their No Movies performances, which defied stereotypical film portrayals of Latinos by imagining new cinematic worlds. Senger paid homage to the latter throughout the documentary by adding short films in the vein of the No Movies series.
More about ASCO: Without Permission from Asa Nisi Masa Films:
Unrecognized in their time, they are now being considered amongst the most important artists of the 20th century. Utilizing a wholly original approach to filmmaking where nonfiction and fiction are interconnected through collaborative film works made with the next generation of Latinx artists, “Without Permission” reimagines what is possible today in cinema and art while celebrating an iconoclastic group that was far ahead of its time.
IndieWire Executive Editor Ryan Lattanzio noted the extraordinary impact of ASCO’s arts and activism in a recent review: “This vibrantly pieced-together and well-sourced documentary … shows how a group of East Los Angeles Mexican-American artists reacted to the shifting social tides of the time, including racism and police abuse pressing force on their community.”
The film is currently seeking US distribution.
