UNNATURAL CAUSES:
Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

Unnatural Causes, for the first time on film, investigates the sources of our huge and alarming socio-economic and racial inequities in health. The four-hour series sifts through the evidence suggesting that there’s more to our health than bad habits, health care, or unlucky genes. The social environment in which we are born, live and work profoundly affects our well-being and longevity.

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans

Winner of the Golden Gate Award at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival.

New Orleans' unique Faubourg Tremé community is arguably the oldest African American neighborhood in the US, the home of the largest free black population in the Deep South during slavery, the birthplace of the civil rights movement in the South in the 19th Century, and the incubator of what became jazz. See related SF Chronicle article.

New Films on Economic Globalization

This acclaimed set of new documentaries illuminate the dark side of globalization, where labor is exploited, the environment is destroyed, and even human health is often sacrificed in pursuit of higher profits. Health for Sale focuses on Big Pharma, the ten largest pharmaceutical makers, who account for 500 billion dollars of world health spending dollars and whose 205 billion dollars in pre-tax profits were more than the combined profits of the 490 other Fortune 500 companies.
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Banished

Between 1860 and 1920, in hundreds of counties across the U.S., white mobs violently ejected black citizens from their homes and they never returned Years later many of these towns remain all white and the black citizens were never compensated for their losses. Now descendants of both races deal with the legacy of these events in Banished.

Made in L.A.

Made in L.A. traces the moving transformation of three Latina garment workers on the fault lines of global economic change who decide they must resist. Through a groundbreaking law suit and consumer boycott, they fight to establish an important legal and moral precedent holding an American retailer liable for the labor conditions under which its products are manufactured.

The Legacy of Slavery

The recent PBS broadcast of Traces of the Trade, dealing with the North's complicity in the slave trade, has brought renewed attention to the issue. Traces of the Trade will be available this fall, but in the meantime, see the remarkable story of a famous enslaved person in A Son of Africa

Blacks and Jews

The 10th anniversary DVD edition of this award-winning documentary challenges the type of sensationalized media that covers the two groups - most recently in connection with Jews and the Obama campaign. It reveals and analyzes the "ritual of conflict" between Blacks and Jews that still has relevance today. See related Salon.com article.

RACE—The Power of an Illusion

What is this thing we call ‘race’? Where’d the idea come from? What are the patterns of human variation? And if race isn't biological, what is it? How do our social institutions 'make' race? RACE - The Power of an Illusion is the series so many are talking about that compels viewers to scrutinize some of their most fundamental beliefs.

What's Race Got To Do With It?

Despite 15 years of diversity programs and initiatives, many of our discussions about race on campus remain mired in confusion and misinformation. California Newsreel is proud to present What's Race Got To Do With It?. This new documentary chronicles the journey of a diverse group of college students over the course of a semester as they confront their assumptions about race, diversity and disparities - and their own responsibilities for making a difference. Facilitator Guide and companion website now available.

Newsreel Celebrates its 40th Anniversary

California Newsreel was formed in 1968, the year defined by turbulent events around the globe. The organization was inspired by the social and cultural changes prompted by the Civil Rights/Black Liberation, anti-Vietnam War, and student movements. Newsreel gave voice to the issues and perspectives championed by those movements while the mainstream media dismissed or distorted them. In fact, California Newsreel's first releases, BLACK PANTHER and SAN FRANCISCO STATE: ON STRIKE are perfect representatives of this turbulent period. Now 40 years later, Newsreel continues to be the leading source for films examining that landmark year.

The Library of African Cinema

Our recently released Library of African Cinema catalogue highlights several features and documentaries examining themes such as restorative justice, revolutionary politics in post-colonial Africa, the US anti-apartheid movement and Nollywood, Nigeria's burgeoning film industry.