Seattle Hip Hop Film Festival

The third annual Seattle Hip-Hop Film Festival takes place on Saturday, November 5th 2022 at Washington Hall in Seattle's Central District.

Presented by 206 Zulu in collaboration with Propadata Films.

Our 2022 program will include short films from local filmmakers & beyond + “ALICE STREET” a feature documentary, directed by Spencer Wilkinson.

ALICE STREET
Directed by Spencer Wilkinson
Running Time: 1:07:00
Oakland, CA

Description:
Two Oakland artists, Pancho Peskador, a Chilean studio painter, and Desi Mundo, a Chicago-born aerosol artist, form an unlikely partnership to tackle their most ambitious project to date, a four-story mural in the heart of downtown Oakland. Their site is situated at a unique intersection where Chinese and Afro-Diasporic communities face the imminent threat of displacement and gentrification. Prior to painting, the mural faces numerous obstacles: complex negotiations with profit-minded property owners, satisfying a community of diverse residents, and resolving the artists’ own aesthetic conflicts. 

As the mural takes shape on the wall, Oakland’s unique cultural legacies come to life through historical flashbacks. Past exclusionary policies replay themselves in the present as gentrification threatens to uproot long-term residents. The mural is fraught with its own challenges. A disgruntled neighborhood resident launches a vendetta against the artists, unleashing a blizzard of letters to city officials and newspapers. Simultaneously, the property owner of the mural site schemes to demolish it and construct the city’s largest luxury condo. Nonetheless, Desi and Pancho conclude the mural with great fanfare and a vibrant celebration. 

Three months later, news comes that another forthcoming condominium development will obscure the mural, which has become a source of neighborhood pride. Despite last-ditch opposition to the condominium, it receives city approval, effectively dooming the mural. Meanwhile, the city unveils its urban planning process for the downtown district. Ultimately displaced, the mural becomes a spark for the community to rally to protect cultural arts, and coalescing the community resistance to gentrification. 

Following the screening will feature a discussion and Q&A with director Spencer Wilkinson and lead artist Desi Mundo.