The Exiles (Kent MacKenzie, 1961) November 6, 2010

THE EXILES chronicles one night in the lives of young Native American men and women living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles. Based entirely on interviews with the participants and their friends, the film follows a group of exiles—transplants from Southwest reservations—as they flirt, drink, party, fight, and dance. With UCLA Film & Television Archive’s magnificent restoration and Milestone’s release, THE EXILES stunned the film world. It introduced a filmmaker of incredible talent and insight and revealed a subject that had not been seen before or since: the diaspora of American Indians who had left the reservation for the city. Gritty, realistic, beautifully photographed, THE EXILES is a cinematic miracle. 35mm restored print.