Watch a Video Preview

CALIFORNIA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM, a new four-part series narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Linda Hunt, explores the dynamics of culture, community and identity in one of the world’s most diverse regions. In the last 35 years, California, a state with the world’s sixth-largest economy, has seen dramatic changes in social, demographic and cultural trends, which have transformed the state so much that it bears little resemblance to the Hollywood dreamscape projected in previous decades.

CALFORNIA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM tells the story of the “real” California, a state that is leading the nation in terms of innovation and solutions to the myriad of issues facing the country today. California is also a prime example of a post-industrial America in which minorities make up the majority of the population.  In each episode, veteran filmmakers Jed Riffe, Paul Espinosa, Lyn Goldfarb and Emiko Omori offer an in-depth look at these issues and current trends — from changing demographics to new models of civic engagement; from the role of immigrants in neighborhood life to the democratic challenge of the initiative process; and from sustainable agriculture to Native American gaming and sovereignty. Each one of the hour-long four independently-produced films stands alone. However as a series, the four episodes examine a complex and crucial set of issues in California that the entire country faces as a whole.

California and the American Dream was produced by Paul Espinosa, Lyn Goldfarb and Jed Riffe, who also created a related site www.californiadreamseries.org