Browse Films

“Shellmound” is the story of how one location was transformed from a sacred center of pre-historic cultures to a commercial mecca for modern people. What began as a Native American burial ground three thousand years ago, was transformed first into an amusement park, and later an industrial age paint factory. Now, the tainted ancient soil sits beneath the glittering lights of Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, and the AMC movie theaters.

“Shellmound” examines the decisions made during the recent toxic cleanup, excavation, and construction of the Bay Street mall through the eyes of the city of Emeryville, the developer, the archaeologists, and the native Californians who worked on the site.

 

 

 

The short film leads to potential hours of discussion - a great resource for college classrooms.
Mary E. McCall, PhD, Ethnic Studies, Saint Mary's College of California

full review

This documentary fills a void for public and higher education libraries seeking to provide documentary resources for a variety of collection areas including ...history of Native Americans in the SF Bay Area, urban development and public policy.
Teresa Morris, MLS Reference and Instruction Librarian College of San Mateo, San Mateo, CA

full review

As he began shooting, Cediel knew he had more on his hands than a story about the past. He was surprised by the intensity of the emotions still felt by people who had worked on the cleanup and recovery of remains, which had been sealed off below the floor of the mound when the paint factory was built.
Rick Del Vecchio
San Francisco Chronicle
full review

AWARDS & SCREENINGS:

• American Indian Film Festival

• PBS -KQED American Indian Heritage Month

• Pacific Film Archive

• San Francisco Ocean Film Festival

• Oakland International Film Festival

• Montreal's First People's Festival

• Native Voice Film Festival