PLUMA PICTURES
   
 

MAN OF THE PEOPLE – Dr. Hector P. Garcia

Armando P. Ibáñez, Producer-Director

Man of the People Trailer is a precursor of a 12-minute short we just completed and of a feature length docudrama we're in the midst of producing about a legendary man, who did so much for so many, Dr. Hector P. Garcia.

I was inspired to make the film short and the docudrama that we’re in midst of production when I saw a feature documentary about Dr. Hector P. Garcia on television. It was a well-made doc regarding the events of his work, but failed to capture the humanity of Dr. Hector, whom I met when I worked as a newspaper reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in the 1980s. Actually, I wrote a number of stories on him, and knew about him when I was growing up in South Texas. I was moved with Dr. Hector's incredible dedication and passion for the good of others.

Dr. Hector, a physician, played a pivotal role in establishing the foundation for civil and human rights in the United States. Dr Garcia—affectionately called Dr. Hector by his friends—preceded Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez in the work for civil rights. Political powerhouses, including Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, knew and worked with Dr. Garcia, especially Kennedy and LBJ. Yet, the public knows little about a man who sacrificed so much for his country and dedicated his life to civil and human rights, as well as assisting veterans and helping the poor. Dr. Hector worked tirelessly--some say obsessively--to secure and defend the civil rights of Mexican-Americans, most of whom faced rampant discrimination and were poverty-stricken.

This short stands on its own legs, and, at the same time, serves as a precursor to the upcoming feature docudrama about this important pioneer and humanitarian.

Our feature docudrama will focus on the humanity of Dr. Hector in illustrating his epic struggle for civil and human rights. Dr. Hector faced incredible personal odds in his life. For example, his life was constantly threatened, including by law enforcement officials; his oldest brother committed suicide; and his only son died in a freak accident at the tender age of 13. Also, Dr. Hector, a highly decorated physician, died with little money in 1996.

read related Newspaper article

 
Our ancestors gathered around the fire to hear and share stories. Today, we gather in dark theaters and around television sets and computers to do the same. Stories are not just information;
they are life-giving and empowering or not......