As the nation reacts to the violence in Charlottesville, many are stunned by the hateful views that lurk beneath the country’s surface. One group that is unsurprised? Black people. African Americans have never forgotten America’s racist foundations, and never had the chance to turn a blind eye; they experience racism every day. Which why is a film like “Whose Streets?” — a documentary about the Ferguson protests, made by black filmmakers for black audiences — must be seen, celebrated, and heeded.
The film documents the genesis of the Black Lives Matter movement during 2013 demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., following the murder of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. Piecing together shaky footage with more intimate interviews with movement leaders, director Sabaah Folayan and producer Damon Davis weave a tale of unrelenting power that feels like today’s news. The film’s authenticity is largely derived from the filmmakers,...
The film documents the genesis of the Black Lives Matter movement during 2013 demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., following the murder of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. Piecing together shaky footage with more intimate interviews with movement leaders, director Sabaah Folayan and producer Damon Davis weave a tale of unrelenting power that feels like today’s news. The film’s authenticity is largely derived from the filmmakers,...
- 8/17/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Gunpowder & Sky has acquired rights in all English-speaking territories to Copwatch, the feature-length documentary that bowed this spring at the Tribeca Film Festival. It follows the story of WeCopwatch, an organization whose mission is to film police activity as a non-violent form of protest and deterrent to police brutality. The film, directed by journalist-turned-helmer Camilla Hall, includes profiles of members including Ramsey Orta, who filmed Eric Garner's final…...
- 6/12/2017
- Deadline
There’s a moment late in Camilla Hall’s Copwatch when a rare officer of color from the Ferguson Police Department engages a group of copwatchers, a term used for local, autonomous groups who document policing activity and potential wrongdoing on the side of the law. He’s careful to discuss policies he’s not a fan of while hearing them out. Copwatch isn’t a permanent solution — one would hope with the rise of body cameras and community-based policing it wouldn’t have to be — but there is still unanswered questions regarding police tactics and use of force that supervisors and chiefs remain unwilling to be transparent about for one reason or another. Or, as former NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton used to say, “it looks awful, but it’s lawful.” The conversation that ends Copwatch is lively, even if the Copwatchers occasionally talk over themselves, which could be...
- 4/30/2017
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
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