We are thrilled that our documentary American Pot Story: Oaksterdam continues to get favorable reviews. On April 29, 2023, Melissa Reid of Cannabis Now talked extensively about the film in a review called “Higher Ed.“
American Pot Story: Oaksterdam highlights the journey of cannabis advocates and concerned citizens in California during a time of significant change. It tells the full, untold story of the Oakland-based underdogs who risked everything to spark a global revolution in cannabis policy.
Award-winning filmmakers Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus spent a decade with OU Founder Richard Lee and Executive Chancellor Dale Sky Jones during their campaign efforts to get California’s Prop 19—a measure to legalize cannabis—on the ballot in California.
“I realized the people in our film were fighting the good fight and that it was worthy of documenting,” Markus says.
“Tiny progress opens the door to more progress,” Katzir says. “Especially at a time when it feels like in some areas we’re going backwards, it’s crucial to remember that when people come together, wonderful things can happen.”
The story first appeared in issue 47 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. The film debuted on Oaksterdam’s 15th anniversary with a screening and after party at the Fox Theater in Oakland, Calif. It has since won several awards, including Audience Choice at the Slamdance Film Festival.
