Youth Beat students took a deep dive into the gentrification crisis that is reshaping Oakland . . . and their resulting documentary opened to rave reviews!

On Sunday, January 26, Youth Beat students premiered their documentary short DISPLACED to a packed house . . . and the reviews are glowing!

The documentary features numerous youth voices sharing their perspectives on gentrification in Oakland. And it follows the displacement story of Youth Beat’s own Danielle Thompson.

“As someone who was pushed out of Oakland,” explains Danielle, “this project is extremely personal. It doesn’t get any more personal than telling your own story and letting people in to see the realities of gentrification. Gentrification is especially important to the youth of Oakland because it’s their future. For kids who have lived here their whole lives, they’re now having to consider moving -- not because they want to but because they might have to simply because of prices.”

The project took over a year to complete, and some 30 Youth Beat students worked on it in various capacities, whether as directors, researchers, crew members or storytellers.  

Giselle, a high school senior who has been in Youth Beat’s program for three years and is now a Youth Beat intern was the Assistant Director. As she explained during the Q&A after the screening, “It was my first time having a director role in anything,” she said. “So that was pretty cool.”

Olin, who is also an intern said, “After making this, I feel like I’m a part of something greater.”

“This is by far the largest and most intense project I've ever worked on,” said Jason, another student intern. “I've never had timelines and projects so big that the computer literally slows down from all the footage. The whole experience was amazing. What kid can say they helped edit a big documentary like this? Just crazy!”

The student filmmakers hope their film will elevate youth perspectives and engagement around Oakland’s gentrification challenges. And we’re pleased to report that coming out of the Premiere, we are already receiving lots of requests for future screenings! 

Visit www.youthbeat.org/DISPLACED to see the trailer, and learn how you can schedule a screening and discussion at your school or other venue. The website also provides a few of the youth perspectives featured in the film, and a contact form if you’d like to add your voice to our story bank. 

As Narce, one of the Co-Directors, explained. “The film is important because it’s important for youth to have a voice on this topic. We’re the generation that is going to have to fight to preserve the things we love about Oakland.”

DISPLACED was made possible by a grant from Cal Humanities’ NextGen program. Thank you Cal Humanities for your generous support!