California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown (90 min) USA

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Sunday, 10/21, 5:40pm (Session XI)

Director: Sascha Rice Producer: Hilary Armstrong, Julie Mintz, Sascha Rice  

Description:

California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown tells the story of how one man rose against seemingly insurmountable obstacles and shaped the future of modern California. Rather than lionizing Brown as “the Architect of the Golden State,” the film also looks critically at Pat Brown’s odyssey to build a “super state,” raising issues that transcend eras and geographic borders. As the Vietnam War shifts the nation's consciousness, Brown is caught in the middle of the cataclysmic 1960s, with the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley, fiery race riots in Los Angeles, and the United Farm Workers Movement in the Central Valley. Brown’s epic battle against capital punishment unleashes an international uproar. Finally, a telegenic Ronald Reagan steps onto the world stage promising to sweep all that away. Brown's tenure ends as a new “era of limits” begins. Told from his granddaughter’s perspective, Brown's struggle to overcome humble beginnings reveals a dynamic American Dream story. A compelling journey unfolds through interviews, archival footage, home movies, and cinema vérité as the filmmaker wrestles with the inherited optimism of her grandfather's legacy. An exciting tale of the west comes into focus through the lens of the national crisis we face: failing education, crumbling infrastructure, gridlocked traffic, and water threatens to become the next oil. This intimate portrait of Pat Brown has the power to ignite optimism and provide a template for what we can and should expect from leaders today.

Biography:

Sascha Rice's feature directorial debut was the romantic comedy Mango Kiss. She was also co-writer and producer for Mango Kiss, which stars Michelle Wolff, Daniele Ferraro, and Academy Award-nominee/Golden Globe Winner Sally Kirkland. Sascha has received numerous awards, including Focus on Five: Spotlight on New Directors, North Carolina Emerging Filmmaker Award: Best Feature, Park City Film Music Festival’s Director’s Choice Award: Gold Medal for Excellence and most recently Ibiza’s Festival del Mar’s Jury Prize for Best Feature Film. Sascha received a BA in integrated arts and cultural studies from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. As a founding member of Frogs on the Water Theater Co., she produced original theatrical works. She found success with her play, The Second Snipping, which she co-wrote and produced. Additionally, she produced and was the cinematographer for the award-winning short film When He Was Gone.  

Contact Information:
E-mail: sascha@patbrowndocumentary.com
Web site: www.patbrowndocumentary.com