Presented by the Department of Art & Art History, this screening of Racist Trees showcases the collaborative work of two distinguished alums from our MFA Documentary Film & Video Program, Mina T. Son and Sara Newens ('11).

Racial tensions ignite in this documentary, when a historically Black neighborhood in Palm Springs, California, fights to remove a towering wall of tamarisk trees. The trees form a barrier, believed by some to segregate the community, frustrating residents who regard them as an enduring symbol of racism.

Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes

Mina T. Son is a Korean American documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Mina has been awarded fellowships and funding from Independent Television Service, Film Independent, PBS/CPB Producers Academy, Bay Area Video Coalition, U.S. Japan Foundation, and Center for Cultural Innovation. Her debut feature-length documentary, Top Spin, co-directed by her filmmaker partner Sara Newens, was acquired by First Run Features and was hailed by the LA Times as “table tennis’ Hoop Dreams.” She has also worked as a producer at Facebook, WhatsApp, and Pinterest, and is currently in post-production on a longitudinal documentary about the rebuilding of a small Japanese town that was decimated by the 2011 tsunami. Mina holds an M.F.A. in Documentary from Stanford University and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sara Newens is a documentary filmmaker and Emmy award-winning/multi-nominated editor based in Los Angeles. She has edited features and series for HBO, Netflix and Hulu including PRETTY BABY: BROOKE SHIELDS, which received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing after premiering at Sundance and won the Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Broadcast Editing. She was also nominated for an Emmy, ACE Eddie award and Cinema Eye award for her work on ALLEN V. FARROW. In addition, she served as editor/writer for ON THE RECORD, which also premiered at Sundance. She is known for directing, producing, and editing PBS’s Independent Lens film RACIST TREES and doc feature TOP SPIN with Mina T. Son, as well as The New York Times Op-Docs film FOOTPRINT: WHERE THE TOWERS STOOD. She has also delved into cutting fiction and co-edited the critically acclaimed indie feature FREELAND starring Lily Gladstone. A graduate of the MFA Documentary Film Program at Stanford University, she continues to create original work through her production company Wild Pair Films.

This event is being held in conjunction with our alum open house event and Stanford Reunion Homecoming.

Image: One of several articles featured on the cover of the The Desert Sun that sparked international media attention and backlash against the so-called ‘racist trees’ that were planted in Palm Springs in the late 1950’s. Credit: Jerry Henry

VISITOR INFORMATION: ART115 is located in the McMurtry Building on Stanford campus at 355 Roth Way. Visitor parking is available in designated areas and payment is managed through ParkMobile (free after 4pm, except by the Oval). Alternatively, take the Caltrain to Palo Alto Transit Center and hop on the free Stanford Marguerite Shuttle. If you need a disability-related accommodation or wheelchair access information, please contact Julianne Garcia at juggarci@stanford.edu. This screening event is open to Stanford affiliates, alums, and the general public. Admission is free.

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