Students, faculty and community members filled the MultiCultural Center Theater on Thursday night to watch film festival-recognized UC Santa Barbara student film “The Takeover.” This was the film’s first official screening at UCSB.

The Takeover is a documentary about the 1968 North Hall takeover which led to the establishment of UCSB’s Black studies department. Conor Kelly / Daily Nexus

The film was produced by fourth-year Black studies major Zoe McCullough and third-year history of public policy and law and Black studies double major Rosie Bultman. It is a documentary about the 1968 takeover of UCSB’s North Hall by members of the Black Student Union and their supporters, which led to the establishment of the University’s Department of Black Studies, only the second to be established in the United States, after San Francisco State University. 

The 1968 North Hall Takeover came in response to racism and campus injustices experienced by Black students, including actions by the university administration and athletic department — particularly within the football program. In response, Black students organized and occupied the building with a list of demands for the University while their supporters rallied outside. The University accepted most of their demands, which included the establishment of the Department of Black Studies.

Associate Professor of Black Studies Ingrid Banks introduced the film and the filmmakers before it began. She thanked the students for creating the film and remarked on the importance of preserving the past in the face of modern attacks on higher education.

“We fight today for the past, but also for Black futures and Black freedom,” Banks said. “No matter what [Donald] Trump and his administration do, they will never erase this history. It’s never, never going to happen, and especially not with two incredible filmmakers, such as Zoe [McCullough] and Rosie [Bultman].”

The film inspired tears, laughter and applause from the crowd. After the credits rolled, McCullough and Bultman sat on stage with Associate Professor of Black Studies Christopher McAuley for a Q&A. Bultman said she was initially inspired to create a film due to her curiosity about the movement, which stemmed from seeing the photo mural outside of North Hall and sifting through archival footage from the time.

“I wanted to see the protests. I wanted to see what Black activism looked like in this time period that I knew was so significant in Black history locally, and so I kind of actively sought that out,” Bultman said.

“The Takeover” was the first film made by McCullough and Bultman, but both had media experience prior to making the film. They agreed that their love for media production, coupled with a deep passion for the subject matter, was the motivation for the film’s creation. 

“My dad taught me how to podcast during the pandemic over Zoom, and I’m always on my phone,” McCullough said. “This was a learning experience for both of us, and we really wouldn’t have known that we could have done this had we not tried.” 

The film was originally screened in January at the San Diego Black Film Festival and was also selected for the upcoming San Francisco Black Film Festival to be held in June.

A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the May 29, 2025 print edition of the Daily Nexus.