The L.A. Rebellion: How the '65 Watts Riots Helped Spark a Cinematic Revolution

This weekend marks the first anniversary of the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, an event that sparked anger, unrest and lots of questions about policing in communities of color. Those same issues were at play 50 years ago this month in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The story is familiar: a young black man pulled over by police for suspected drunk driving, an argument, a shoving match and within hours a full-blown riot. A few years later, a group of young black filmmakers from UCLA would use Watts as the backdrop and inspiration for a short-lived but influential film movement that came to be known as the "L.A. Rebellion." Its story is chronicled in a forthcoming book and expansive DVD collection.