Nat Bates For Mayor tells the story of the outrageous 2014 mayor’s race in Richmond, home to the second largest refinery in California. In a brazen move, Chevron spent more than $3 million to back 83-year-old African American stalwart Nat Bates. Bates makes a Faustian bargain with the city’s corporate behemoth in a cagey attempt … Continue reading Nat Bates for Mayor →
Much of L.A.’s past is lost to history, but it can be rediscovered in the region’s archives. A co-production of KCETLink and the USC Libraries, in collaboration with L.A. as Subject, Lost LA brings Southern California history to life by marrying archival materials with innovative forms of documentary storytelling. Hosted by Los Angeles historian Nathan … Continue reading Lost LA →
The Migrant Kitchen explores Los Angeles’ booming food scene through the eyes of a new generation of chefs whose cuisine is inspired by the immigrant experience. Visit the kitchens of those who have transformed the culinary landscape of the city by combining traditional ethnic cuisines and a fusion of new flavors and techniques to make … Continue reading The Migrant Kitchen →
The highly skilled artisans migrating from Mexico and Latin America are the backbone of high-end design and retail in Los Angeles, producing some of the most exquisite furniture, textiles and design goods. But they represent a creative force that seems invisible to the city. This Artbound film uncovers their stories and their role in making Los … Continue reading Artesanos/Artisans →
Following the San Francisco Alexander String Quartet performing throughout Poland, Con Moto: The Alexander String Quartet offers a unique perspective into the world of chamber music and reveals the collective voice that emerges through the unique personalities of four world-class musicians. Directed by Robert Barbarino and Hannah Anderson.
F R E E is an award-winning documentary that follows five teens through a life-changing year with the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company in Oakland, California. Each year, a diverse group of teens audition for a spot at Destiny Arts, where they will spend months working together to create an emotionally charged performance based on … Continue reading F R E E →
Tending the Wild shines a light on the environmental knowledge of indigenous peoples across California by exploring how they have actively shaped and tended the land for millennia, in the process, developed a deep understanding of plant and animal life. This special examines how humans are necessary to create balance in nature and how traditional … Continue reading Tending the Wild →
From public television station KCET in Southern California comes the tale of a new framework for black diasporic art production as it takes shape in contemporary Los Angeles. This hour-long documentary from the Artbound series proposes a new theory of the black aesthetic in the 21st century. The film explores the tensions between conventional, segregated … Continue reading The Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto →
Everyone knows Robin Williams, Dana Carvey and Paula Poundstone. This is the story about their friends, the other jokers in the room, the ones who stayed in San Francisco, worked the clubs and rode a comedy movement right up until the comedy bubble burst in 1992. In the 1980s, the comedy scene in San Francisco … Continue reading 3 Still Standing →
Desert Migration focuses on gay men living long-term with HIV who have sought out an oasis in Southern California’s Palm Springs, where both their homosexuality and health condition is not just tolerated, but understood. They represent a huge number of people who migrated to this desert community burdened with memories of watching their friends die, … Continue reading Desert Migration →
San Francisco artist Frank Wong is a 3-D memorialist. He has spent the last four decades crating his memories in miniature form, pulling inspiration from his life, family and city. His dioramas — each not much larger than a shoebox —reflect a life he once knew and encapsulate monuments of Chinatown’s past with vibrant romantic … Continue reading Forever, Chinatown →
Screaming Queens introduces viewers to a diverse cast of former prostitutes, drag entertainers, police officers, ministers and neighborhood activists, all of whom played a part in the events leading up to San Francisco's Compton's Cafeteria riot of 1966.
Bill Babbitt supported the death penalty until it came knocking at his door. In this richly animated personal narrative, one man makes a decision to stand by his brother in the face of war, crime and capital punishment.
Oakland has been rated a top travel destination ... and one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. Once a month, those two realities meet at First Friday, an immersive art and community experience.