Taking Space: A Documentary

Taking Space: a Prologue Taking space is a documentary compendium on how, why, and where individuals carve out and retain autonomous space, with a specific focus on Southern California. The prologue features three spaces in and around the Los Angeles area and the collectives that run them: Hyde Park Half, Bridgetown DIY, and Blood Orange Infoshop. While explaining the logistics of these collectively operated social centers, it sheds light on how the individuals who make up these collectives interact with one another and take up space within their communities.

TAKING SPACE: Official Trailer Taking Space is a documentary that aims to highlight the different ways in which collectively operated spaces function, especially during times of intense struggle and pressure. The film focuses on three spaces located across Southern California: The Ché Café, Bridgetown DIY and Blood Orange Infoshop. In making this documentary, we hope to not only shed light on the music, art and culture that these spaces help to create for their communities, but also to expose the processes, conflicts and compromises that are involved with building and working in spaces that rely on non-hierarchical organizing models. Much of the film centers on the decades long conflict between The Ché Café and the University of Southern California San Diego - a conflict that continues to this day. We are working dilligently towards finishing this documentary project and hope to have it out by April 2015.

more stills from recent footage that we shot during the ché eviction defense march that took place 10.28.14 on the UCSD campus.

we're still editing and closely following the situation at the ché as it develops. here are some stills from footage that we recently shot. more to come.

Expect things in the coming month.

began shooting at blood orange infoshop in riverside today. first interview was with elliot.

Taking Space: A Documentary Trailer I _____________________________________ "Anything that we've got that is decent, is not the result of the benevolence of people in power" Taking Space is a documentary compendium on how, why and where individuals carve out and retain autonomous space, with a specific focus on Southern California. We've been shooting for just over a month and recently finished stitching together this rough trailer with footage from the Ché Café. Feel free to follow this page if you are interested in getting updates on the filming and editing process.