One of Mexico's biggest movie stars takes on one of his country's ...
um, how could we describe boxer Julio César Chávez?

"He's Mexico's biggest star of all times," says actor Diego Luna. "In his years of glory, the only good news we had on TV in my country was related to him."

After more than 20 films, Luna ("Y tu mamá también," "Frida") has stepped behind the camera for the first directing role in his career: "Chávez," a documentary about the life of the legendary boxer who won five world titles.

But through the film - which will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26 - Luna is also aiming at telling the story of his homeland in the 1990s.

"Chávez was world champion for more than 10 years during crazy times: the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio, the insurgent movement in Chiapas. ... And what's even more curious is that Chávez's career starts to fall apart at the same time the PRI [Institutional Revolutionary Party] had its biggest crisis."

Son of an acclaimed theater, cinema and opera set designer, Luna, 27, says his interest in directing grew "organically" out of his desire to express his own voice.

"I always thought of documentaries as films through which you find your voice as a narrator," he says. "Of course, when we started with this project in 2005 I was really nervous."

The project got on track thanks to Canana Films, the production company he formed with his longtime friend, actor Gael García Bernal.

"I am very lucky, because I don't know very many people who can say that they can afford [to have] their film not break even," says Luna. "Of course, we expect and hope that 'Chávez' has a great run, but, fortunately, neither our company nor our careers depend on that."

In fact, Luna says the film stemmed from his "urgency" for telling the story of the 44-year-old Chávez and not from any financial considerations.

"Chávez is an icon of my country," he says. "When we Mexicans have to step forward individually for our country, we do an amazing job, just like he did. We are always proud and courageous. But when we have to team up, many times we fail terribly."

But Luna also sees commonalities between the life of the boxer - who first retired in 2001 but has returned various times to the ring, the last time in 2005 - and his own personal experience.

"I was raised an orphan. ... My mother died when I was 2 years old. And when I saw the film last time I realized that I was deeply concerned about Julio César's relationship with his son. That's probably one of my biggest personal issues."

Chávez son, Julio César Chávez, Jr., 21, started boxing in 2003.

"And another issue I tried to dig up was fame and power, and how are they connected. I feel that my experiences acted as some sort of filter that has tinted the whole movie."

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/