Third World Newsreel (TWN) Announces Fall Launch of Historic Newsreel Retrospective (1968-1972)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Third World Newsreel (TWN) Announces Fall Launch of Historic Newsreel Retrospective (1968-1972)
Archive of 1960s-70s Activism Offers Lessons for Today's Movements
NEW YORK, NY – Third World Newsreel (TWN), the long-standing media arts center dedicated to nurturing social justice media by and about historically marginalized communities, announces the fall launch of its Newsreel Retrospective (1968-1972). This groundbreaking collection features sixty digitally preserved films documenting the social movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s—a period that mirrors our contemporary moment of rights under attack and collective futures under threat.
The Retrospective is now available for bookings by film festivals, educational institutions, and cultural organizations worldwide. Programmers can screen Retrospective films between November 2025 and 2026; initial screenings confirmed this fall at prestigious venues including BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), Maysles Cinema, and Anthology Film Archives in NYC, as well as DOK Leipzig in Germany.
"While the current political landscape feels unprecedented, historically people have faced and battled authoritarian and undemocratic forces before," observes JT Takagi, Executive Director of Third World Newsreel. "We're excited to launch our Newsreel Retrospective and uplift authentic stories of activism led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, and other marginalized communities fighting for liberation, empowerment and justice. This is the moment to examine the past and use it to energize and activate people and communities today."
60 Films Revealing Societal Transformation
The Newsreel collective, now Third World Newsreel, produced over sixty films during its most prolific period from 1968 to 1972. Formed by a group of filmmakers who came together in 1967 to produce films that would show the reality of the various anti-war and people's liberation movements, and activate the people, chapters developed across the country. These films captured pivotal moments of resistance and community organizing with an immediacy and authenticity that mainstream media could not provide.
Third World Newsreel has digitally preserved this archival film collection featuring activists from the Black Panthers, Young Lords, anti-war groups, and feminist organizations as well as stories of community struggles, housing justice, community solidarity, and labor movements.
Historical Parallels for Contemporary Audiences
Newsreel arose in a time when there were only three television channels, and the work of these early filmmakers presented alternative and truer narratives of social issues, showcasing both harsh realities and community struggles that were routinely ignored or misrepresented in established news programs. The impact was immediate and visceral—when "Columbia Revolt" was first screened, students watching it immediately stood up and protested their own campuses' complicity with the Vietnam War, leading to numerous campus shutdowns nationwide.
Today, as communities again face threats to democratic institutions, civil rights, and social justice, these films offer both historical context and tactical inspiration for contemporary movements fighting similar battles.
Thematic Programming Available
The Retrospective offers diverse programming options organized by movement and theme:
- Student and Anti-War Movement Films (25 films)
- Women's Movement (6 films)
- Black & Brown Power Movements (9 films)
- Third World Struggles (6 films)
- Housing Justice & Community Solidarity (12 films)
- Labor Movements and regional Newsreel chapter programs
Featured films include:
- "Columbia Revolt" (1968) - Documentary of the first major campus revolt of the Civil Rights/Vietnam War era
- "The Woman's Film" (1971) - Collective production documenting the origins of the modern women's movement
- "Black Panther" (1968) - One of Newsreel's most widely distributed films featuring Black Panther Party leadership
- "El Pueblo Se Levanta" (1971) - Portrait of Young Lords organizing in East Harlem
- "Break and Enter" (1971) - Documents housing reclamation movement in New York City
About Third World Newsreel (TWN)
Since 1968, Third World Newsreel has advanced movement storytelling and media arts for cultural and social justice. We champion the self-representation of historically marginalized communities—including Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Middle Eastern, Mixed/Multiracial, People with Disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals—through diverse genres and forms of media, such as documentary, experimental, and fiction. Our comprehensive support includes hands-on training, fiscal sponsorship, educational distribution, and preservation, all designed to advance cultural justice and societal change.
Booking Information
The Newsreel Retrospective is available for theatrical screenings, film festivals, educational institutions, and cultural organizations. Programmers may select individual films or work with TWN to create custom thematic programs. Former Newsreel members are available for in-person or virtual speaking engagements.
Booking Contact:
Zenzelé Clarke
zenzele.clarke@gmail.com
Press Contact:
JT Takagi
twn@twn.org
Website: twn.org

August 2025 News

NEGRITA, First Film by Afro-Latina Producer Magdalena Albizu Now Available for Public and Educational Screenings from Third World Newsreel

Jasmine Murrell's THE SERPENT, THE MEDICINE, AND THE INVISIBLE DEVIL at the Alice Austen Park & Museum

Meet JT Takagi at the AAIFF in New York City

"Because of You" by Desireena Almoradie and Barbara Malaran at the Asian American International Film Festival

TWN Advance Production Workshop Application Deadline is July 18

Congratulations to Filmmaker Angel Velasco Shaw's for Her New Book "Markets of Resistance"

Congratulations to TWN Workshop Grad Grace Lee for her new film "BTS Army"

"Slumlord Millionaire" PBS Broadcast Premiere on July 28

Meet JT Takagi at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia as Part of the Reclaiming the Reel Panel

July News

In Memory of Robert Nakamura

TWN Workshop Graduate Karla Murthy Premieres "The Gas Station Attendant" at Sheffield DocFest on June 19

Newsreel Member Shawn Walker Featured on "Finding Pictures" Presented by the Library of Congress

"Resistance & Joy" Screening Tour with Filmmakers at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center

TWN Workshop Graduate Felix Rodriguez Presents "My Ballroom Story" Installation at Pioneer Works

Congratulations to Fiscal Sponsoree Sam W. Smith for "Embodied" Premiere at Rootfoot Films

Congratulations to Fiscal Sponsoree Sisa Bueno for the World Premiere of "For Venida, For Kalief" at the Tribeca Film Festival

June News
.png)
"African Spiritualities" Documentaries and Meet the Filmmakers at Anthology Film Archives May 26-27

The TWN Media Production Workshop Continues Despite NEA Grant Termination

Mississippi Delta Documentary to Stream After Watching "Sinners" in Theaters

"The Only Doctor" Film Wins Peabody Award! Congratulations to Director Matthew Hashiguchi and Producer Anjanette Levert

May 2025 News

Long-Lost French Film “Palestine Vaincra” Set to Premiere in New York and London

More April News

April News

More March 2025 News

March 2025 News

February 2025 News

Third World Newsreel Receives Cultural Development Fund Grant from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

TWN's New Digital Home: Pioneering Social Justice Media for Today
![[Photo of Patrick working with collaborator Yoon Ra on set] Photo Credit: Untitled KQT Project](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/667bf7127664813a7e08661e/67aa8710c657790c99121940_Alumni%20feature%20-%20Patrick.png)
Building Community Through the Lens: Patrick G. Lee's Journey with TWN

"African Spiritualities" Film Series Features New and Old Encounters Between African Cultures, Religions, and Spiritualities

More January News

January 2025 News

December 2024 News

In Memory of Ann Bennett

Activist Filmmakers Bootcamp with Workers Unite Film Festival 2024

In Memory of Claudette Furlonge

November 2024 News

TWN Graduate Vi Tuong Bui’s "Thời Thơ Ấu (Childhood)" Premieres on PBS
.png)
October 2024

September 2024 News

More August 2024 News

August 2024 News

More July 2024 News

July 2024 News

TWN Announces 2024 Production Workshop Fellows

June 2024 News

More May 2024 News

May 2024 News

More April News

More March 2023 News

March 2024 News

In Conversation with Filmmaker Naz Habtezghi

More February 2024 News

February 2024 Newsletter

More January News 2024

TWN’s Acclaimed Production Workshop Now Open for Aspiring Social Justice Filmmakers

January 2024

TWN Mourns the Passing of Pearl Bowser (1931–2023)

October 2023 Newsletter

TWN Receives Support from the New York State Council on the Arts for Archival Equipment System

More April 2023 Newsletter

New 4K Restoration of "Suzanne, Suzanne" and 2K Digitizations Opens at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in NYC on February 3rd, 2023

In Memory of Bill Sloan

In Memory of Herman Lew

In Memory of Laura Dottin

In Memory of Miriam 'Sa'uuda Akoma Nsoroma' Perez

In Memory of Jennifer Fasulo
