Freedom Riders
Directed by Stanley Nelson
USA I 111 min I English
Freedom Riders, which premiered at Sundance’s 2010 documentary competition, vividly tells the story of a critical turning point in the struggle for Civil Rights. From May to December in 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives—many enduring savage beatings and imprisonment—by traveling together side-by-side on buses as they journeyed through the then-segregated Deep South. Throughout the harrowing journey, their non-violent approach was tested by mob violence, bitter racism, and fire bombings. Stanley Nelson’s film delivers gripping, first-hand recollections from the central players in this incredible historical drama, includingthe Riders themselves—many of whom went on to become important civic leaders of Filmmaker Stanley Nelson has been heralded for his other award-winning films, including Wounded Knee, Jonestown, and The Murder of Emmitt Till.

“They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the president and the entire American public face to face with the challenge of correcting civil-rights inequities that plagued the nation.” —Sundance Film Festival

Ticket holders are invited to a special reception before the film.

A panel discussion will follow the film.

Hear an interview including filmmaker Stanley Nelson (after a discussion of Ethiopia) on Washington, D.C.‘s WPFW-FM radio.