The Definitive Deep Dive Documentary
of the Psychedelic Poster Movement
The psychedelic poster movement was one of the defining visual art movements of the 1960s, yet its story has never been told in a feature-length documentary. While previous films have explored San Francisco's music scene or touched briefly on the posters that came to symbolize the era, none has taken a comprehensive look at the remarkable group of artists who transformed concert handbills into enduring works of art. Between 1966 and 1969, in the creative crucible of Haight-Ashbury, Wes Wilson, Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, and Rick Griffin – as well as Bonnie MacLean, Lee Conklin, David Singer, Randy Tuten and Bob Schnepf - redefined graphic design and created an artistic language that continues to influence artists, designers, and popular culture around the world. As to interest in the topic? A short video made in 2019 by Vox, called, “Where the 1960’s Psychedelic Look Came From,” has had more than 3.7 million views on YouTube.
Baby Boomer Nostalgia is Passionate
The late 1960’s psychedelic revolution in San Francisco – a Utopian period where it was believed that peace and love could change the world – resonates ever-strongly today and has always resonated with idealistic younger people as well. The audience for this film extends across generations. For Baby Boomers, it offers a connection to the music, art, and idealism of their youth. At the same time, the enduring popularity of the Grateful Dead—and the success of Dead & Company and the broader jamband culture—has introduced that world to younger generations. Gen Xers and Millennials, many of them drawn to the passions of their parents’ generation, have become a new audience for its music, idealism, and search for authenticity. This film tells the largely unknown story behind the psychedelic art that became the visual language of the Movement.
Renewed Interest in Psychedelics
Psychedelic experiences, the search for expanded consciousness, and a spirit of experimentation played an important role in the development of this new visual language. Today, when new scientific research has brought psychedelics back into public conversation, the film offers historical context for understanding how those ideas influenced one of the most original artistic movements of the twentieth century. Instagram sites like Psychedelic Historian have more than 1.5 million followers. And as Avalon Ballroom promoter Chet Helms says in the film, “Many of these changes could have happened without drugs. The fact is, they didn’t.”
Unique Footage, an All-Star Cast,
and Iconic Music
Rare footage of psychedelic poster movement founder Wes Wilson from 1967, footage of Postermat owner and movement accelerator Ben Friedman, and a newly discovered 1971 audio interview with Rick Griffin are just a few of the audio/video gems that were unearthed and are shown in this film. Surviving members of the Big Five, Stanley Mouse and Victor Moscoso, were interviewed extensively alongside poster experts, museum curators, authors, promoters, musicians, and influential artists including Roger Dean and John Van Hamersveld.
Narrated by Rolling Stone’s Ben Fong-Torres, the film also features on-screen narration by actor, San Francisco Mime Troupe member, and Ken Burns narrator Peter Coyote. Beginning with the hypnotic beat of the Chambers Brothers’ “Time Has Come Today,” the film features music by Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother & the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, Santana, Country Joe and the Fish, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. An original score by Tom Disher and Ben Hicks weaves through the interviews, evoking the nostalgia and idealism of the era. Together, these rare archival discoveries, firsthand voices, and iconic music bring the psychedelic poster movement—and its lasting importance—to life
Timing is Perfect
Film Festival entrance will begin in September 2026 along with private showings. The film is scheduled for general release in 2027 – the 60th anniversary of the Summer of Love and the peak of psychedelic poster production. Interest in revisiting the Summer of Love will be high.
Opportunities in Education
Separate distribution will be used to focus on educational markets. The film treats the artists, the art and the movement itself as a legitimate part of art history. As the film begins, “This is not a film about posters. It’s about Art.” This is a longtail win for the film for art students, museum curators, and art lovers. As scholar and author Dr. Scott Montgomery says in the film “I believe that this psychedelic poster movement was an art movement. It was a discernible group of artists who worked together toward a common goal with a common aesthetic sensibility in line and color appropriated imagery to create an identifiable aesthetic that has gone on to have tremendous impact, has become emblematic of the entire late 60s.”
Today's Political Climate
Demands this Film
In a 1991 interview with promoter Bill Graham in the film, he says, “there was a lot of hope, which doesn’t exist today.” He might as well have been talking about our polarized society today! The film will play into a huge reaction against the lack of civility in politics today. People need a hopeful, positive story about a simpler, gentler, more loving time when people were inspired and truly believed they could make a difference and change the world.
A feature-length documentary on San Francisco's Big Five and the psychedelic poster revolution.
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