A film by Michael Barnard
w/ Barry Shabaka Henley - Paulina Sahagun-Morgan Barnard, Sean Findley, America Garza
FEATURING INTRO and Q&A with DIRECTOR MICHAEL BARNARD
“Santa Monica 90404” is a cautionary tale of how a unique, multi-cultural Santa Monica neighborhood is “disappeared” through gentrification and high-pressure commercial development. Written and directed by award-winning, Santa Fe- based filmmaker Michael W. Barnard, this feature-length film employs a unique blend of meta-documentary coverage, dramatic narrative and magical reality sequences to evoke the potent nature of the land and culture underlying this rapidly changing community. The film details the deep history of the historic, culturally diverse 90404 neighborhood within Santa Monica.
The film follows two locals, a Latina teacher (Paulina Sahagun - born within the 90404 neighborhood), who is compelled to try and document her rapidly disappearing neighborhood, and a local black poet (Barry Shabaka Henley) who is knowledgeable about the hidden African American history of the area. We watch as their paths cross, and as they ultimately join forces to excavate the moving and often surprising stories of this essentially American neighborhood bounded by 14th Street on the West, Pico Blvd. on the South, Cloverfield Ave. on the East and Santa Monica Blvd. on the North – an American neighborhood with the US Postal code designation: 90404.
“Santa Monica 90404” features an original score created by formerly Santa Fe- based musician and composer Walker Barnard, using local Santa Fe performers. The evocative and moving main title music is “Morning Water Song” from the 2003 album “On This Earth”, performed by Native singers Primeaux and Mike.
w/ Barry Shabaka Henley - Paulina Sahagun-Morgan Barnard, Sean Findley, America Garza
FEATURING INTRO and Q&A with DIRECTOR MICHAEL BARNARD
“Santa Monica 90404” is a cautionary tale of how a unique, multi-cultural Santa Monica neighborhood is “disappeared” through gentrification and high-pressure commercial development. Written and directed by award-winning, Santa Fe- based filmmaker Michael W. Barnard, this feature-length film employs a unique blend of meta-documentary coverage, dramatic narrative and magical reality sequences to evoke the potent nature of the land and culture underlying this rapidly changing community. The film details the deep history of the historic, culturally diverse 90404 neighborhood within Santa Monica.
The film follows two locals, a Latina teacher (Paulina Sahagun - born within the 90404 neighborhood), who is compelled to try and document her rapidly disappearing neighborhood, and a local black poet (Barry Shabaka Henley) who is knowledgeable about the hidden African American history of the area. We watch as their paths cross, and as they ultimately join forces to excavate the moving and often surprising stories of this essentially American neighborhood bounded by 14th Street on the West, Pico Blvd. on the South, Cloverfield Ave. on the East and Santa Monica Blvd. on the North – an American neighborhood with the US Postal code designation: 90404.
“Santa Monica 90404” features an original score created by formerly Santa Fe- based musician and composer Walker Barnard, using local Santa Fe performers. The evocative and moving main title music is “Morning Water Song” from the 2003 album “On This Earth”, performed by Native singers Primeaux and Mike.
