13th (2016)

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

Director:

Ava DuVernay

Writers:

Spencer Averick, Ava DuVernay

Stars:

Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 31 wins & 44 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melina Abdullah	...	Herself - Interviewee
Michelle Alexander	...	Herself - Interviewee
Cory Booker	...	Himself - Interviewee
Dolores Canales	...	Herself - Interviewee
Gina Clayton	...	Herself - Interviewee
Jelani Cobb	...	Himself - Interviewee
Malkia Cyril	...	Herself - Interviewee
Angela Davis	...	Herself - Interviewee
Craig DeRoche	...	Himself - Interviewee
David Dinkins	...	Himself - Interviewee
Baz Dreisinger	...	Herself - Interviewee
Kevin Gannon	...	Himself - Interviewee
Henry Louis Gates	...	Himself - Interviewee (as Henry Louis Gates Jr.)
Marie Gottschalk	...	Herself - Interviewee
Newt Gingrich	...	Himself - Interviewee

Storyline

The film begins with the idea that 25 percent of the people in the world who are incarcerated are incarcerated in the U.S. Although the U.S. has just 5% of the world's population. "13th" charts the explosive growth in America's prison population; in 1970, there were about 200,000 prisoners; today, the prison population is more than 2 million. The documentary touches on chattel slavery; D. W. Griffith's film "The Birth of a Nation"; Emmett Till; the civil rights movement; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Richard M. Nixon; and Ronald Reagan's declaration of the war on drugs and much more.

---

Plot Keywords:

prison | greed | discrimination | civil rights | prisoner | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Crime | History

---

Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 13th

Filming Locations:

West Oakland Amtrack Station, Oakland, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kandoo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The filming locations and production design of the interviews, with brick walls and industrial equipment, represent labor that, according to DuVernay, "has been stolen from black people in this country for centuries."

---

Quotes

Bryan Stevenson: The Bureau of Justice reported that one in three young black males is expected to go to jail or prison during his lifetime, which is an unbelievably shocking statistic.

---

Connections

Features Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Last Words
Written by Nas (as Nasir Jones), Leshan Lewis, James 'Diamond' Williams (as James Williams), Ralph Middlebrooks, Leroy 'Sugarfoot' Bonner (as Leroy Bonner), Marvin Pierce, Billy Beck (as William Beck), Marshall E. Jones (as Marshall Jones), Clarence Satchell, and Nashawn Jones
Performed by Nas featuring Nashawn and Millennium Thug
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Watch the movie...then read "The New Jim Crow"

The voices and arguments here are not new. Read "The New Jim Crow." Read "Just Mercy." Read any critical analysis of modern American jurisprudence. But this film brilliantly assembles disparate voices (Newt Gingrich and Jelani Cobb? Together? Really?) to tell the story...to tell our story. DuVernay finds our nation's narrative arc. It may be disturbing, but it is also true. As the prison population ticks up, so does your understanding of who we have been and who we are becoming.