Two Oakland artists, Pancho Peskador, a Chilean studio painter, and Desi Mundo, a Chicago-born aerosol artist tackle their most ambitious project yet. In the heart of downtown Oakland they plan a four-storey mural to celebrate the cultural diversity of the area. The site is Alice Street, where the historic Chinese and Afro-Diasporic communities which call it home, face rapid displacement and gentrification. The mural becomes a source of neighborhood pride and unity. Then the citizens learn that a new condominium development will obscure the mural. In spite of well-organized opposition to the condominium, the city approves it, effectively dooming the mural.

The mural becomes a spark for the community to rally to protect cultural arts, and coalescing the community resistance to gentrification.

“Set in just a few city blocks, it’s a story about intractable loss as well as collective refusal, depicting artists’ role in grassroots activism that builds power by bridging communities…”
– Sam Lefebvre, KQED Arts, March 2, 2020

“In Alice Street, Director Wilkinson shows us that if people take the time to connect, respect—and really listen to each other, genuine progress can be made that respects what has come before. What started with a mural actually led to a movement—of creative, and cultural resilience.”
– CJ Hirschfield, Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, Eat, Drink, Films, October 18, 2020

Awards and Nominations

Oakland International Film Festival 2020, Winner; Best Feature Documentary Film