Sergio Arau and Yareli Arizmendi

On May 1, 2006, life imitated art, for the real A Day Without A Mexican. Filmmakers Sergio Arau & Yareli Arizmendi, whose objective in making their critically acclaimed film A Day Without A Mexican was to open the dialogue on the issue of immigration, are experts on the subject. At the podium, their informed and thought-provoking lecture is from their hearts and from the forefront of this crucial issue. They are documenting the process and the outcome in hopes of furthering the discussion of the contribution made to our society and economy by not just the Latino immigrants, but by all immigrants.

MTV Award Winning director Sergio Arau and acclaimed actress Yareli Arizmendi are the husband and wife duo and co-creators of A Day Without a Mexican, a politically charged masterpiece of wit, irreverence and social commentary. This 2004 film, which is a fable intended to warn the public, is now reality, with immigrants' rights on the forefront of the political and social landscape. It not only illustrates the impact of Mexican and Mexican Americans on Californias economy, but highlights the growing cultural presence and power of Latinos (the nation's largest group of immigrants and biggest minority) in America. Arau's & Arizmendis multi-media lecture is a searing and poignant commentary exploring topical news items with a Latino point of view.

More About Sergio Arau & Yareli Arizmendi:

Celebrated artist and musician, Sergio Arau was born in Mexico City. He received his MFA in Film Studies at the National School of Film (CUEC), Mexico City. A highly recognized visual artist and political cartoonist, Arau won the Coral De Plata award at the Havana Film Festival with his animated short El Muro/The Wall (2001). An accomplished musician as well, Arau formed Botellita De Jerez (1983) a group that fused humor and Mexican traditional music with the contemporary sounds of rocknroll. In 1998 he won the MTV Award for Caf Tacubas Alarmal (a song Botellita had made famous ten years before). Araus group is considered the precursor of the Rock-en Espaol movement.

Renowned actress and writer Yareli Arizmendi has resided in California since 1983. Committed to social change she worked with Luis Valdez and Teatro Campesino, toured with Teatro de la Esperanza to Nicaragua and participated with the Border Art Workshop. She developed the Watcha! Stage Caf, a social satire cabaret, at the Centro Cultural De La Raza in San Diego.

In 1990 Yareli translated the screenplay version of Like Water For Chocolate so Alfonso Arau, director and producer, could travel the world finding money to make the film. She later landed the role of "Rosaura". During the shoot of Like Water for Chocolate in Northern Mexico, Yareli was working on her Masters thesis Whatever Happened to the Sleepy Mexican: Four Ways to Be a Contemporary Mexican Artist. She graduated in 1992 and became a professor at Cal State San Marcos. She was a founding member of the Theater Arts component of the Inter-Disciplinary Arts Program.