California has always had a special place in the American imagination, and this engrossing film examines one of the state’s progressive architects, Governor Pat Brown. Brown, called the “Godfather of modern California” by Tom Brokaw, exemplified what a government can do, successfully dealing with such issues as employment, education, and transportation in the tempestuous 1960s. Director Sascha Rice, granddaughter of Brown, deftly uses home movies, archival footage, and revealing interviews to illuminate the governor’s special brand of can-do optimism, a quality that is sorely missing from today’s politics. California State of Mind is much more than an examination of the past; it is a potential template for our nation to think about pressing social problems in a new way.

The film is executive produced by Hilary Armstrong, produced by Julia Mintz and Sascha Rice, and written by Sascha Rice and Laura Nix.

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