“Rebels with a Cause is so beautifully shot – you really get a great feel for both the natural world of the area, and how it’s integrated so well with the urban environment. One thing in particular sets Rebels apart from others of this type: it’s very calm, and not unnecessarily dramatized. Almost always in films about political or social conflict, the filmmakers goose the audience with swelling music and filmic flourishes to emphasize turning points in the story. I liked that the filmmakers didn’t do that – just told it straightforwardly.”
-Ed Carter, Documentary Curator
Film Archive, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Category Archives: Press
Teaching Sociology review
“An informative and well-crafted examination of a somewhat unknown chapter of the American environmental movement. Appropriate for both undergraduate and graduate-level sociology courses. Students will appreciate the courage, strategy, and fortitude that these people demonstrated to win campaigns for the most unprecedented amount of green space, close to an urban center, in the entire world. Restores one’s faith in the potential efficacy of social movements, even in the face of what appeared to be insurmountable odds.”
—Jeneve R. Brooks, Teaching Sociology
Marisa Walker, Marin Agricultural Land Trust
“I can’t recommend this film enough as a tool for inspiring local change. Although the film tells a local story about the San Francisco Bay Area, it reaches far beyond our little slice of the country. It’s also helpful in terms of describing the importance of land trusts in large-scale land preservation and environmental campaigns. A terrific tool for community engagement.”
Elizabeth Williams, Oregon Shores
“With the attempts on a national level to takeover federal/public lands, US forests etc., the message of this documentary needs to be seen, heard, taken to the hearts of the citizenry in every state.”
Where to pick up a DVD
Kenji & Nancy at Alcatraz Island
Here are all the Bay Area locations where you can find Rebels for sale:
- Point Reyes Books
- A Bicycle Odyssey
- Copperfields Books
- Point Reyes National Seashore – Bear Valley Visitor Center
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area – Warming Hut
- Muir Woods Visitor’s Center
- Lands End Visitor’s Center
- Bridge Pavilion Visitor’s Center
- Alcatraz Visitor’s Center
- Fort Point Visitor’s Center
- Nicasio Valley Cheese Company Creamery Store
Planning Magazine
“Importantly, for urban and regional planners, the film is unequivocal about exactly why these lands need preservation: all too often — both then and now — natural areas are consumed by rampant and poorly planned residential sprawl.”
—Ezra Haber Glenn, Professor
Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nadine de Coteau, Marketing Director, Earthjustice
“Rebels tells the story of how vision, advocacy, community action, commitment, political will and strategy can work together to outwit and outmaneuver even the richest, most powerful factions. It’s a reminder that a strong coalition of “regular people’ can achieve a truly ambitious goal for our country. That lesson is worth noting, especially given the influence money has on our political system today.”
full article
Educational Media Reviews Online
“Highly Recommended. That some of the priciest real estate in the world could be saved from the seemingly inexorable force of development and speculation seems almost beyond comprehension…This documentary details the decades-long struggles of grass-roots activists who fought against powerful development interests. Largely unknown, these figures…constitute an important chapter in the history of the environmental movement.”
full review
Sierra Magazine
“Rebels with a Cause tells the story of how a group of conservationists, politicians, ranchers, farmers, and volunteers spearheaded a campaign to block development projects like Marincello. Today, the planned city lies within the boundaries of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, one of the most popular in the entire National Park Service. The recreation area’s existence is a direct result of the tireless work chronicled in Rebels with a Cause. Thanks to the efforts of those depicted in the film, the only real remnant of Marincello is a mountain biking trail that follows what would have been the potential town’s main boulevard.”
full article
San Francisco Chronicle Review
“With the help of engaging interviews, excellent graphic maps and Lou Weinert’s cinematography – his Bay Area landscape shots are beautiful – filmmakers Nancy Kelly and Kenji Yamamoto are able to translate what was essentially an incremental bureaucratic fight into cinematic terms…In the end, you’ll probably more appreciate the area we call home – and grab your hiking (or bicycling) gear.”
full review
SFGate capsule
