Lucha Libre

Today's New York Times includes a warm-up article on Lucha Libre, in anticipation of the June 16th release of the new Jack Black movie, Nacho Libre. Loosely translated as "freestyle fighting", Lucha Libre is Mexican professional wrestling. It's very theatrical, lots of fun, and is a great example of a minority interest gaining widespread fandom. One sign of Lucha Libre's ascendance in mainstream American Pop Culture? Nacho Libre is the second project of Jared Hess, who wrote & directed cult favorite Napoleon Dynamite. Another? The Times went so far as to quote not only the filmmakers, but also a Professor of Chicano Studies at Arizona State University.

If you serve a significant Mexican or Mexican-American population, consider holding a discussion of the film, getting some community input on Lucha Cinema for your DVD collection, or a hold an afternoon of Lucha mask decoration for kids!