Plot
The film begins with the idea that 25 percent of the people in the world who are incarcerated are incarcerated in the U.S. Although the U.S. has just 5% of the world's population. "13th" charts the explosive growth in America's prison population; in 1970, there were about 200,000 prisoners; today, the prison population is more than 2 million. The documentary touches on chattel slavery; D. W. Griffith's film "The Birth of a Nation"; Emmett Till; the civil rights movement; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Richard M. Nixon; and Ronald Reagan's declaration of the war on drugs and much more.
Written by
Spencer Averick, Ava DuVernay
Directed by
Ava DuVernay
Crew
Production Countries
United States of America
Production Companies
Kandoo Films
Languages
English
Awards
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 32 wins & 47 nominations total
Featurettes
Scores
# of Votes
38,394
Average Rating
8.2 out of 10
Metascore
81
Popularity
NA