ASCENDANCE

Year: 2024 | Run time: 17 min

Amid the COVID pandemic and BLM protests, Oakland artists create their largest mural yet to amplify the fight for racial justice.

Amidst the pandemic shutting down Oakland’s streets and the revolutionary Black Lives Matter Protests, artists attempt their tallest and most challenging mural yet, determined to use their creations for justice. Born out of the struggle to preserve local culture and painted on the walls of a racial justice organization, ASCENDANCE is a grandiose 90 feet tall mural in Oakland’s Downtown. Though initially violent, the protests blossom into artistic expression, transforming broken windows into canvases. ASCENDANCE arises in this landscape of public resistance and art.

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Team

DIRECTOR: Spencer Wilkinson

PRODUCER: Kodhai Thirumalai

FINISHING EDITOR: Jon Ayon Alonso

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Sareeta Young, Braelan Murray

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Demondre Ward, JJ Harris & Spencer Wilkinson

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Desi Mundo

COMPOSER: Micah Berek

SOUND DESIGNER: James Berek

COLOR BY: Alkemic Color

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Rudi Tcruz, Demondre Ward

awards

  • “Set in just a few city blocks, it’s a story about intractable loss as well as collective refusal, depicting artists’ role in grassroots activism that builds power by bridging communities.”

    — Sam Lefebvre, KQED Arts

  • "Alice Street...shows us that if people take the time to connect, respect—and really listen to each other, genuine progress can be made that respects what has come before."

    - CJ Hirschfield, Splash Pad News

  • "A triumphant documentary interweaving stories within the different communities in Oakland...a beautiful, vivid, and artistic mural of the lives and cultures emerges."

    - Beth Lederer, The Guardsman

news + reviews

“AT A TIME WHEN SOCIETY HAS NEVER SEEMED MORE DIVIDED, ARTS AND CULTURE CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.”

“AT A TIME WHEN SOCIETY HAS NEVER SEEMED MORE DIVIDED, ARTS AND CULTURE CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.”

“AT A TIME WHEN SOCIETY HAS NEVER SEEMED MORE DIVIDED, ARTS AND CULTURE CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.”

‘ALICE STREET’ CAPTURES THE HISTORY OF A ONCE-BOOMING ARTS DISTRICT AND ITS STRUGGLE TO SAVE A MURAL THAT REPRESENTS IT.”

‘ALICE STREET’ CAPTURES THE HISTORY OF A ONCE-BOOMING ARTS DISTRICT AND ITS STRUGGLE TO SAVE A MURAL THAT REPRESENTS IT.”

‘ALICE STREET’ CAPTURES THE HISTORY OF A ONCE-BOOMING ARTS DISTRICT AND ITS STRUGGLE TO SAVE A MURAL THAT REPRESENTS IT.”

“THE STORY OF AN OAKLAND MURAL THAT SPARKED A MOVEMENT.”

“THE STORY OF AN OAKLAND MURAL THAT SPARKED A MOVEMENT.”

“THE STORY OF AN OAKLAND MURAL THAT SPARKED A MOVEMENT.”