Amidst the political and cultural upheaval of one of the most tumultuous moments in the 20th century, filmmaking flourished as an effort to encapsulate and depict the hopes, fears and creativity of a newly changing society. A war was on in southeast Asia, drug use had moved from the counterculture and into the mainstream, rock ‘n’ roll pushed new boundaries and became a progressive tool for change, humans first stepped foot on the Moon, and an entire generation pushed back against suffocating traditional American values. Old Hollywood’s formula for what audiences wanted was faltering. And, in response, young filmmakers were given freedom—and budgets—to create deeply personal works of art that addressed the issues that the Hollywood establishment couldn’t seem to wrap its head around. This cinematic bounty delivers a rich, and still timely, snapshot of the revolutionary moment that was 1969—through the lens of a group of unencumbered artists seeking to push film in completely new, intimate, and contemporary directions. On the 50th anniversary of this remarkable moment, we celebrate with a wide-sweeping retrospective of films that reflect the spirit of ‘69.