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 32 wins & 43 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melina Abdullah	...	Self - Interviewee
Michelle Alexander	...	Self - Interviewee
Cory Booker	...	Self - Interviewee
Dolores Canales	...	Self - Interviewee
Gina Clayton	...	Self - Interviewee
Jelani Cobb	...	Self - Interviewee
Malkia Cyril	...	Self - Interviewee
Angela Davis	...	Self - Interviewee
Craig DeRoche	...	Self - Interviewee
David Dinkins	...	Self - Interviewee
Baz Dreisinger	...	Self - Interviewee
Kevin Gannon	...	Self - Interviewee
Henry Louis Gates Jr.	...	Self - Interviewee
Marie Gottschalk	...	Self - Interviewee
Newt Gingrich	...	Self - 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 | black lives matter | justice system | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime | History | News

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

The twenty-sixth Netflix original documentary.

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Quotes

Barack Obama: So let's look at the statistics. The United States is home to 5% of the world's population. But 25% of the world's prisoners.

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Connections

Features 12 Years a Slave (2013)

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Soundtracks

Behind Enemy Lines
Written by M. One (as Lavon Alford) and Stic Man (as Clayton Gavin)
Performed by Dead Prez (as dead prez)
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Interesting but One-Sided

Most documentaries I have seen lately (on a variety of topics) have been one-sided, so it's fine if you know that going into it. This was well done, though, and shed a lot of light on current events, but also the events leading up to the explosive times we now find ourselves in.

***I took slight issue with the Assata Shakur and Angela Davis section. Do your research and find out why their portrayal is controversial for some (Shakur more than Davis).***

I think everyone should watch this one. Empathy and kindness towards the oppressed will only come for some if they would just educate themselves just a little bit, and then continue on to educate themselves further. We all have much work to do.

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Netflix

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 13th

Filming Locations:

16th Street Station, Oakland, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$566

Company Credits

Production Co:

Forward Movement, Kandoo Films, Netflix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1