WHOSE STREETS?
Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis present an on-the-ground look at the Ferguson uprising.
Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
Sundance Program Description:
Told by the activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice, WHOSE STREETS? is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising. When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St Louis, Missouri. Grief, long-standing racial tensions and renewed anger bring residents together to hold vigil and protest this latest tragedy.
Empowered parents, artists, and teachers from around the country come together as freedom fighters. As the national guard descends on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, these young community members become the torchbearers of a new resistance.
Filmmakers Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis know this story because they are the story. WHOSE STREETS? is a powerful battle cry from a generation fighting, not for their civil rights, but for the right to live.
Some Background:
Director/Producer:
This project marks the activist and organizer’s feature directorial debut. The film was supported by the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program.
Co-Director/Producer:
This is also the first documentary feature from Davis, a St Louis-based interdisciplinary artist.
Producers:
Borderline Media’s MacArthur has provided media strategy and other support to past Sundance docs, including THROUGH A LENS DARKLY (2014), AMERICAN PROMISE (2013), GIDEON’S ARMY (2013), and DIRTY WARS (2013), but this is her first production credit.
Miller previously produced impact campaigns for fellow 2017 Sundance filmmaker Pamela Yates’ Sundance-debuting GRANITO: HOW TO NAIL A DICTATOR (2011) and her later film DISRUPTION.
Co-Producer:
This is also the St Louis-based photographer’s debut feature project.
Associate Producer:
Hall is a New York City-based writer and education activist. This is his first film project.
Editor:
Past Sundance docs:
{THE AND} MARCELA & ROCK (short) (2015)
Assistant Editor:
This the Brooklyn-based Varano’s first Sundance project.
Why You Should Watch:
Michael Brown’s murder has inspired several film projects, but Folayan and Davis have themselves been part of the Ferguson story from nearly the beginning. Through profiles of fellow activists immersed in the protests, they capture the raw energy of a community pushed too far for too long. The film premieres as one of this year’s Day One screenings.
More Info:
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