Latino Canon

ASCO: Without Permission

2025 · film · US

Latino-directedAbout the communityBreakthrough firstLatino-led castLatino-producedIdentityClassActivism

Directed by: Travis Gutiérrez Senger

Starring: Harry Gamboa Jr., Gronk, Willie Herron, Patssi Valdez, Nao Bustamante, Zoe Saldaña

Runtime: 90 min

Why it mattersAI-assisted

ASCO: Without Permission profiles the Chicano art group ASCO, who merged activism and art. It reimagines cinema and art.

Sources
  1. synopsis — "ASCO: Without Permission" is a genre-defying film that profiles the extraordinary, Los Angeles based, Chicano art group of the 70's-80's, ASCO, who merged activism and art as they challenged representation in the art world, Hollywood and the news media. 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.
  2. credit — Directed by Travis Gutiérrez Senger.

Synopsis

"ASCO: Without Permission" is a genre-defying film that profiles the extraordinary, Los Angeles based, Chicano art group of the 70's-80's, ASCO, who merged activism and art as they challenged representation in the art world, Hollywood and the news media. 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.

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