Eva Longoria Bastón’s doc looks at Chávez, De La Hoya fight

By LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer

When Oscar De La Hoya asked his longtime friend Eva Longoria Bastón if she would consider making a documentary to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his 1996 fight against Julio César Chávez, her first answer was no. But then she thought about a different way of approaching it. The result, “La Guerra Civil,” is an examination of the cultural divide the fight illuminated for many Mexican Americans. The documentary premiered Thursday night at the Sundance Film Festival. It is, what she lovingly calls, “boxing adjacent,” including interviews with Chávez, De La Hoya and his Mexican trainer at the time, Jesus Rivero, but also with academics and onlookers.