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.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | greed | discrimination | civil rights | prisoner | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime | History

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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

This was the first documentary to ever open the New York Film Festival - the 54th Festival on Friday, September 30th, 2016.

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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.

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Connections

References Cops (1989)

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Soundtracks

Letter To The Free
Performed by Common featuring Bilal
Written by Common, Karriem Riggins, Robert Glasper
Courtesy of Artium Records/Def Jam Recordings
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
Arranged and Composed by Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper

User Reviews

In response

There is something to be said of a person who does not know when to stop and listen a message that has left them in the past. I watched this film and cried because I have spent my adult life keeping myself and my children out of the "system". I have spent teaching my children that they are more than what white society is trying to pin on them. To read a review that basically regurgitates all of the right leaning rhetoric that, if they watched the film, started at the very beginning of slavery. The US was/is built on the backs of other races that the US has no intention acknowledge. The history that is taught in the US not only white washes (pun intended) but also teaches to have pride in a misrepresented history. To find out what contributions brown and black people made to this country is an elective in college that most white Americans will never even glance at. So to say that this film is one sided...yes it is but white America has had it one sided for over 400 years with all the strength, weight, industrial, and political power at its disposal. SO, go a look at the history from a perspective other than Rush Limbaugh and the like. You just might finally understand that brown and black lives are not a tool for whites to use at a whim but humans that have the RIGHT to be treated the same......