Upheaval Productions was created as the dream project of David Zlutnick while he was making short films with his friends in high school. After making numerous short narratives and a couple short documentaries of limited quality under the name, Upheaval Productions was re-founded during the Summer of 2006. Since then it has once again begun to produce films, this time with a sharp edge focusing on issues of social justice.
Upheaval Productions is committed to using film as a means to bring about social change through education and mobilization. Believing there needs to be strong, independent voices in media, we are dedicated to producing material that covers underrepresented and/or misrepresented issues. We feel the best way to present these subjects is through conversations with those most affected and distributing these words and images to as many people as possible. We don’t want to speak for these individuals, we want to let them speak for themselves. Upheaval Productions wants to give voice to those who are not heard and enable them to tell their own stories, and through this process encourage and support their methods of opposition and organization.
This organization seeks to reach as many eyes and ears as possible. You can check back to this site for updates on current projects, screenings, etc. If you are interested in working with us, helping us distribute our work, setting up screenings, or whatever you may feel you could contribute, please get in contact with us. If you have ideas for a possible future project that we may want to produce, again, please let us know. Upheaval Productions wants to work to build a strong network within our community as well as outside of it in order to reach a broad audience and get out our message loud and clear.
Thanks for your support!
David Zlutnick is a California native, growing up in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, and graduating from UC Santa Cruz in 2006. He has spent the last several years involved in social justice movements, mostly focusing on labor struggles, anti-militarism, and most recently housing justice. David also has a strong history within independent media, both written and visual. In the past he has worked with numerous independent print publications including The Project Collective Newspaper, The (dis)Orientation Guide, and Fault Lines: The Newsmagazine of the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center, and his writings have been published in a variety of media outlets. A founding member of Colectivo Media Insurgente, David worked to produce multiple films through this organization that were shown widely both within the United States and internationally. Most recently he has been working full-time with the San Francisco Tenants Union and the Eviction Defense Collaborative and has co-founded the Friendly Fire Collective. David has been making films under the name of Upheaval Productions since he was 16.
Accomplices/Co-Conspirators:
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Arthur Saenz is greatly committed to the positive change and advancement of all working-class communities. In 2006, Arthur received his B.A. degree in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Currently, Arthur is obtaining a Masters degree in Chicana/o Studies with an emphasis in Cultural Anthropology at San Diego State University. Arthur was an active member of A.I.D.E. (Action In Defense of Education) and has contributed significantly to the movement against budget cuts and tuition increases in public education. Presently, he continues to organize and agitate for affordable and accessible higher education for all residents. Arthur has contributed to Upheaval Productions through his work on Down But Not Out and Dos Americas: The Reconstruction of New Orleans.
Scott Foletta grew up in the Central Valley of California and moved to Santa Cruz to attend university. At UC Santa Cruz he participated in campus anti-war activism as well as labor solidarity organizing for several years and has written a number of articles for The Project Collective Newspaper and other independent publications as well as various Indymedia projects. He spent several months in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina to participate in the rebuilding process and organizing with the Workers’ Center for Racial Justice organizing day laborers and guest workers in an entirely unique post-Katrina labor situation. His introduction to film work was working on Colectivo Media Insurgente’s Trying Days, documenting the grassroots organizing that took place in New Orleans following Katrina. Scott was instrumental in the making of Dos Americas: The Reconstruction of New Orleans. He now resides in New York City.