Award-Winning Documentary American Pot Story: Oaksterdam Premieres in Hollywood 10 Years in the Making

Award-Winning Documentary American Pot Story: Oaksterdam Premieres in Hollywood 
10 Years in the Making

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, USA, June 26, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Award-Winning Documentary American Pot Story: Oaksterdam Premieres in Hollywood 
10 Years in the Making

“A must-watch for every American” (Film Threat), American Pot Story: Oaksterdam reveals the unknown origin story of how a handful of underdogs risked everything to ignite the current worldwide revolution in cannabis policy.

“A highly entertaining and powerful film showing the blueprint of how to start a movement in America. A movie for anyone that still believes each one of us can stand up and change our world,” said Director Dan Katzir.

Award-Winning American Pot Story: Oaksterdam will have its Hollywood premiere during the Dances with Films Festival this Thursday, June 29, at 7 PM at the TLC Chinese Theatres, Hollywood 

Slamdance Film Festival 2023 Audience Award Winner American Pot Story: Oaksterdam tells the unknown origin story of the underdogs who took a huge risk to revolutionize current cannabis policy.

TAGLINE: When it was time to spark a cannabis revolution, they answered the call.

SYNOPSIS: Cannabis in America has evolved in epic proportions over the last decade, and filmmakers Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus were there to record it. They spent ten years following a “small group of thoughtful, committed citizens” (to quote Margaret Mead) who opened Oaksterdam University and risked it all to get Prop 19 – a measure to legalize cannabis – on the ballot in California.

American Pot Story: Oaksterdam spotlights how their campaign brought this taboo topic out of the shadows and into mainstream society. Leading the charge was Oaksterdam University Founder Richard Lee, who, after becoming paraplegic, discovered cannabis provides him relief better than some traditional medications, and Executive Chancellor Dale Sky Jones, a woman with a heartbreaking past, who found her voice and calling after becoming part of the Oaksterdam family.

From enduring harsh public scrutiny and international media to withstanding a federal raid that threatened prison time, their roller coaster ride towards decriminalization is as tense as it is inspiring. An accurate American tale, their fight serves as a reminder of how democracy can work when people come together. The documentary is not just an essential historical chronicle of a time and a movement but also a lesson on how change transpires in this country.

Other participants in the film who will also attend the premiere include Tommy Chong, Salwa Ibrahim and Leafly’s David Downs. Other notable personalities in the film are: California Governor Gavin Newsom, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Oakland City Council member-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan,  and LEAP’s Diane Goldstein, Neill Franklin, Stephen Downing, and Kyle Kazan (Glass House).

DAN KATZIR (WRITER/DIRECTOR)

Dan Katzir’s films have won dozens of international awards in the US, Europe, and Asia and were nominated for the Israeli Academy Award. His films have played in hundreds of film festivals and have been shown on multiple networks around the world, including HBO in the US, channel 4 in the UK, and France 2, to name a few. 

Before becoming a filmmaker, Katzir served as a combat soldier and an officer in the Israeli paratroopers. He graduated magna cum laude from the Film and TV Department at Tel Aviv University and received his MFA from the American Film Institute in Hollywood.  Katzir lives in Los Angeles with his wife, filmmaker Ravit Markus, and their son.

RAVIT MARKUS (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER)

Ravit Markus’s previous documentary features include the critically-acclaimed Yiddish Theater: A Love Story she wrote and produced. It became a cultural phenomenon when it commercially played in theaters in Los Angeles, New York, and Tel Aviv for months, garnering raving reviews in the NY Times, LA Times, and the NY Magazine, to name a few, and was voted one of the top 10 documentaries of 2007 in About.com. Markus is a graduate of the Film and TV Department at Tel Aviv University. In her mandatory army service in Israel, she served in the video unit of the Education Corps.

Celebrity Activist Tommy Chong will be attending the Hollywood Premiere and Afterparty at the Roosevelt Hotel’s Teddy’s Lounge. 

Tommy Chong is a Canadian-American actor and musician who is well-known for his portrayals of hippie-era stoners. He is most widely known for his role as Anthony Stoner in the marijuana-themed Cheech & Chong comedy movies with Cheech Marin. He also played Leo Chingkwake in That ’70s Show.

Official Website
https://www.americanpotstory.com/

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American Pot Story Trailer