L.A. Rebellion
In the late-1960s, in the aftermath of the Watts Uprising and against the backdrop of the continuing Civil Rights Movement and the escalating Vietnam War, a group of African and African American students entered the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, as part of an “Ethno-Communications” initiative designed to be responsive to communities of color (also including Asian, Chicano and Native American communities). Now referred to as the L.A. Rebellion, these mostly unheralded artists created a unique cinematic landscape, as—over the course of two decades—students arrived, mentored one another and passed the torch to the next group.
Access at UCLA
A significant portion of the work produced by this esteemed group of filmmakers, including UCLA student films, independent shorts, theatrically-released motion pictures and television projects—as well as select interviews—is available for onsite research viewing by appointment at the UCLA Film & Television Archive's Research and Study Center, located in Powell Library on the UCLA campus. To arrange onsite research viewing, please contact the Archive Research and Study Center.
The Archive’s major initiative to collect, conserve and provide access to titles relevant to the L.A. Rebellion is ongoing.
For a listing of L.A. Rebellion titles held at UCLA, please consult the Archive Catalog. Catalog records for L.A. Rebellion titles can be viewed by 1) entering "L.A. Rebellion" in the Search box and 2) selecting the Topic or genre/form search type. You may also wish to review the Archive's L.A. Rebellion Filmography for additional information. Titles in the Filmography marked with "Available for research at UCLA" can be viewed by appointment on the UCLA campus by contacting the Archive Research and Study Center.
For additional study, note that the Archive also holds many film and television titles by and about African Americans, as well as collections that can provide additional historical context to the issues and themes explored by the L.A. Rebellion, such as Hearst Metrotone News Collection and News and Public Affairs (NAPA).
