We Were All Here A Film by Dan Kwong and Paulina Sahagun

Doors open at 7 PM; Film starts at 8 PM

Join us for the launch of Artful Watching, a special series of free, outdoor film screenings at 18th Street Arts Center exploring the rich history and cultural treasures of Santa Monica. 

We Were All Here (2021) chronicles the lives of the extended Casillas family who, beginning in 1918, were the largest family ever to emigrate to Santa Monica from Mexico. Their story reflects the 20th century immigrant experience, the evolution of the City of Santa Monica, and the making of citizenry. 

Due to historical discriminatory housing policies combined with economic forces, the Pico Neighborhood—bounded by Pico Blvd. to the south, Colorado Ave. to the north, Stewart St. to the east and 14th St. to the west—was the primary home base for Latino/a, Black, and Asian families in Santa Monica for many decades. Several factors, including construction of the Santa Monica Freeway in 1966, which displaced 1,500 residents and split the neighborhood in half, would change the area forever.