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Felicia

Name: Felicia
Director: Bob Dickson, Alan Gorg, Trevor Greenwood
Released: 1965
Duration: 12 min

Representation Score

6.9/10

Good

1965

Director

Bob Dickson, Alan Gorg, Trevor Greenwood

Runtime

12 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Felicia is a landmark piece of early storytelling that reflects multiple aspects of identity. It successfully disrupts the detached, objective journalistic styles of the 1960s by adopting a participatory method that prioritizes the subject's lived experience. The film's greatest strength is its refusal to use an 'outsider' lens. By giving Felicia Bragg full narrative control, the filmmakers allow a young woman of color to frame her own community and identity. While the film excels in racial and gendered ability to act, it remains limited by the era's focus, offering no specific engagement with LGBTQ+ identities or disability representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Felicia have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not explicitly depict LGBTQ+ identities or dynamics. It focuses solely on the protagonist's family and school life.

How does Felicia portray gender?

Good

Felicia Bragg serves as the primary narrator and intellectual driver, disrupting mid-century cinematic hierarchies by centering a young woman's perspective.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Felicia?

Excellent

The film provides a actively leading look at a multi-ethnic community in Watts, centering a protagonist of African-American and Hispanic descent.

How does Felicia represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The documentary highlights the socioeconomic realities of the Watts neighborhood from the perspective of a underrepresented teenager.

Does Felicia include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities within the film.

Present on Screen

Provides a actively leading perspective of a multi-ethnic community in Watts.
Centers a young woman as the intellectual driver and primary narrator.
Challenges mainstream 1960s media by prioritizing subjective, lived experiences over institutional narratives.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation or discussion of LGBTQ+ identities.
Provides no visible evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

This 13-minute short subject, marketed as an educational film, records a slice of life in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles prior to the rebellions of 1965. Filmmakers Trevor Greenwood, Robert Dickson and Alan Gorg were UCLA film students when they crafted a documentary from the perspective of the unassuming-yet-articulate teenager Felicia Bragg, a high-school student of African-American and Hispanic descent. Felicia’s first-person narrative reflects her hopes and frustrations as she annotates footage of her family, school and neighborhood, creating a time capsule that’s both historically and culturally significant. Its provenance as an educational film continues today as university courses use "Felicia" to teach documentary filmmaking techniques and cite it as an example of how non-traditional sources, as well as mainstream television news, reflect and influence public opinion.

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