VETERANS IN ACTION
Panel discussion of Racial Idiocracy includes Toronto & Budapest on screen (photo by Renée Magaña)
In Racial Idiocracy , his student thesis film, Salcedo challenges the structural racism behind the housing segregation regulations and laws prohibiting people of color to buy, rent, or occupy property in the United States during the 1950s. In addressing these issues, he abides by the film’s tagline, “We can’t rewrite history, but we can change the narrative.” Influenced by another director who used the style of film noir, Salcedo presents a new subgenre in his film that he calls “Chicano noir.” Utilizing the classic black and white format along with haunting music evokes the tense emotions in the film.
Salcedo won first place for his creative writing in the Short Script category of the VA Long Beach Medical Center’s Creative Arts Festival. The script has since advanced to compete nationally among other VA facilities. It was also selected for a production scholarship by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in partnership with CSULB. Racial Idiocracy was screened again in March after being accepted into the 2023 LA International Film Festival, and Salcedo has been invited to show his film at underprivileged schools.
SPRING 2023 33
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