- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
After World War II,
the United States Government created a housing policy
to help veterans and their families become homeowners,
creating the largest middle class in the world.
It was a well-intentioned plan
but as we'll see in tonight's film,
over the next few decades,
the American housing market developed a dark side.
Tonight's film Owned: A Tale of Two Americas
explores how a generation after the policy was implemented
we've been left with two starkly different race-based results:
a more thriving well-subsidized reality for white people
and a much more bleak and defunded truth
for Black people and other minorities in inner cities.
Giorgio Angelini has a visual style
that keeps the explanation of housing economics
fun and informative.
He uses drone footage, engaging graphics,
and the occasional appearance from actual experts
to prove his theories.
And just to put a spotlight
on the creative path filmmakers can find to a finished product,
Owned took four years to shoot,
due in part to what many filmmakers encounter...
limited funding,
but Angelini sees this as fortuitous.
Initially, he was working on a more data-driven film
about suburban sprawl
until events like the Baltimore uprising
and the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri happened.
The urban unrest compelled him to reevaluate
and explore the reality behind the divergent housing paths
between white and Black America
set in motion decades before.
Now, it's time to grab a snack,
sit back, and enjoy this film
that MSNBC's Chris Hayes calls and I'm quoting,
"a frickin' great film!"
Not the most articulate review, but just good unbridled emotion.
Owned: A Tale of Two Americas starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.