The Third World Newsreel
Journey
Since 1968, Third World Newsreel (TWN) has advanced movement storytelling and media arts for cultural and social justice. We champion the self-representation of historically marginalized communities—including Black, Latine, Indigenous, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, North African, Mixed/Multiracial, People with Disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals—through diverse genres and forms of media, such as documentary, experimental, and fiction.
Our aim is to facilitate their efforts to create, engage, and amplify their stories, propelling audiences to action.
Our Mission
Our comprehensive support includes hands-on training, fiscal sponsorship, educational distribution, and preservation, all designed to advance cultural justice and societal change.
From documentary and experimental to narratives, we are committed to shaping a media landscape where diversity and intersectionality are not merely represented but are central to social transformation.
We envision a world where social justice media by and about historically marginalized people supports and instigates profound cultural and systemic change.
Our Vision
History Of Third World Newsreel
Founded in December 1967 as Newsreel, an activist filmmaker collective in New York, our organization quickly expanded into a network with chapters across the US. Originally producing and distributing short 16mm films that highlighted key social movements of the era—including the anti-war and women’s movements, and civil and human rights movements—Newsreel gained unique access to groups such as the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords Party. This period of activism attracted many artists who later became renowned filmmakers, such as Norman Fruchter, Susan Robeson, Robert Kramer, Christine Choy, Tami Gold, Allan Siegel, and Deborah Shaffer.
In the mid-1970s, as the global landscape of solidarity movements evolved, New York Newsreel was reborn as Third World Newsreel, reflecting a deepened commitment to developing filmmakers and audiences of color.
Today, TWN honors the progressive vision of its founders and remains the oldest media arts organization in the U.S. devoted to cultural workers of color and their global constituencies
Read our digital monograph of articles by and about
Newsreel and TWN.
Leadership With Vision
Meet the core of TWN: Executive Director JT Takagi, Distribution Director Roselly Torres, Distribution Associate Shu Wang, and Workshop Co-Directors Danny Kim, Chrystian Rodriguez and Neha Gautam.
JT Takagi
Roselly Torres
Shu Wang
Danny Kim
Chrystian Rodriguez
Neha Gautam
Contact Us
Reach Out: We invite you to connect with us. For inquiries and collaborations, please use the contact form below.
