The first trailer has been unveiled for Cannes, Emmy and Peabody-winning director Marc Levin’s documentary “It’s Basic,” which will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival.
The film examines several pilot programs launched in the U.S. that test the effects of giving everyday people an extra $500 to $1,000 monthly, with no strings attached. It aims to present an unbiased account of the benefits, criticisms, and outcomes of providing unconditional money to people in need, and examines whether Basic Income pilot programs eradicate child poverty and level the racial playing field through community-centric solutions.
The documentary features commentary by Michael Tubbs, the founder of Mayors for Guaranteed Income. At 26, Tubbs became mayor of Stockton, California. Under his stewardship, the city saw a 40% drop in homicides in 2018 and 2019, led the state in the decline of officer-involved shootings in 2019, was named the second most financially healthy city in California and was featured in Levin’s HBO documentary, “Stockton on My Mind.”
Tubbs also serves as executive producer on “It’s Basic.” He is currently the special advisor to California governor Gavin Newsom for economic mobility and is the founder of End Poverty in California.
“At a time when we are bombarded by news of economic instability, inflation, debt crisis, drastic cutbacks in social services and fears of more layoffs and recession, here’s a story about a subterranean movement that has grown from one city, Stockton CA. From back in 2018, when we released the documentary ‘Stockton on My Mind,’ to now over 100 cities actually doing something to improve the lives of their citizens. “It’s Basic’ gives the participants themselves a chance to tell this story,” Levin said in his director’s statement.
Levin has won four Emmys, four duPont-Columbia awards, the Peabody Award, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Career highlights include “Slam,” his breakout film about the impact of the spoken word movement; “Brick City,” the docu-series about mayor Cory Booker and the city of Newark, New Jersey; “Gang War: Bangin’ in Little Rock” and Emmy-winning “Thug Life in DC,” both for HBO; and “Chicagoland,” a docu-series for CNN and Sundance Productions, nominated for an IDA award.
“It’s Basic,” which premieres June 12 at Tribeca, also features interviews with program recipients and participating mayors across the country. Several high-profile guests are expected to join Tubbs and some of the participating mayors who are members of Mayors for Guaranteed Income, including Sumbul Siddiqui of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Ras J. Baraka of Newark, New Jersey; Shawyn Patterson-Howard of Mt. Vernon, New York; Ariel Kelley of Healdsburg, California; and former mayor Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, Louisiana; Also expected to attend is Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook and author of the book “Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn.”
Watch the trailer here:
