Ava DuVernay’s documentary “14th” centers on the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. The film will open SFFILM’s Doc Stories on Nov. 5 at San Francisco’s Vogue Theatre, and DuVernay plans to attend and discuss it, according to Deadline and Variety. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the local screening.
The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, three years after the Civil War ended, extended U.S. citizenship to people born or naturalized in the country, establishing birthright citizenship, the Chronicle reports. The outlet also reports that the Trump administration is trying to repeal that guarantee. DuVernay told The Hollywood Reporter that the project began taking shape in early 2024, as Donald Trump campaigned to return to the White House and promised to challenge birthright citizenship.
The Supreme Court’s 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark recognized citizenship for a child born in the United States to Chinese parents who were ineligible for naturalization. The ruling also recognized exceptions, including children of foreign diplomats and of alien enemies in hostile occupation, according to Constitution Annotated.
San Francisco’s connection to the case
Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco in 1873. After returning from China in August 1895, he was denied entry on the claim that he was not a U.S. citizen; his appeal led to the Supreme Court’s 1898 ruling affirming birthright citizenship, according to the National Archives.
“14th” follows DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated 2016 documentary “13th,” which addressed the amendment abolishing slavery, the Chronicle reports. The Hollywood Reporter describes the new film as made for Netflix and says DuVernay interviewed more than 50 experts, scholars and politicians. Variety reports that Sherrilyn Ifill narrates and that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is among those interviewed.
Festival schedule and tickets
Doc Stories runs Nov. 5–8 at the Vogue Theatre. The Chronicle reports that the 12th annual festival is scheduled to include 10 feature documentaries, 11 short films and three Doc Talks. General-admission tickets cost $16 to $20; opening- and closing-night tickets cost $30 to $35. SFFILM members can buy tickets now, while sales to the general public are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, according to the Chronicle.
The film’s New York Film Festival and streaming schedule is described differently in two Variety reports: one says “14th” premiered at the festival earlier this month, while another says it is set to close the festival and begin streaming on Netflix Dec. 9. The reports are available from Variety.
