MLK/FBI

Last updated
MLK/FBI
MLKFBI.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Sam Pollard
Written by
Produced byBenjamin Hedin
CinematographyRobert Chappell
Edited byLaura Tomaselli
Music by Gerald Clayton
Production
companies
  • Field of Vision
  • Tradecraft Films
  • Play/Action Pictures
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
  • September 15, 2020 (2020-09-15)(TIFF)
  • January 15, 2021 (2021-01-15)(United States)
Running time
104 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$45,200 [2] [3]

MLK/FBI is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Sam Pollard (known for co-directing the 1987 Oscar-nominated Eyes on the Prize ), from a screenplay by Benjamin Hedin and Laura Tomaselli. It follows Martin Luther King Jr. as he is investigated and harassed by J. Edgar Hoover's Federal Bureau of Investigation. [4]

Contents

Synopsis

The film explores the investigation and harassment of Martin Luther King Jr. by J. Edgar Hoover and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, through newly declassified documents. Interviews from Beverly Gage, David J. Garrow, Andrew Young, Donna Murch, James Comey, Clarence Jones, Charles Knox and Marc Perrusquia also appear in the film - the interviews are presented largely as voiceover; some of the interviewees briefly appear on camera at the end of the film.

Much of the documentary utilizes archival footage of MLK between 1955 and 1968, the years of his work as a civil rights activist. It is largely chronological, showing a young MLK from 1963 [5] until 1968 when he was assassinated. No new information is revealed about his assassination. The last sequence makes the statement that not all FBI documents have been declassified, and that the whole record will be declassified and made available to the public in 2027.

The documentary covers the attempts by Hoover and the FBI to discredit King by collecting recordings and images of his private sexual life with women other than his wife. This is to denigrate his status within the civil rights movement for black people in the United States, which was gaining momentum. There is a stark contrast between the thoroughly white complexion of the FBI and the many crowds of black people assembled around MLK.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. [6] It screened at the 2020 New York Film Festival [7] and was scheduled to be one of the closing night films at the San Diego International Film Festival in October. [8]

IFC Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film and set a release date for January 15, 2021. [9]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 124 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "MLK/FBI presents a sobering overview of the American intelligence community's efforts to discredit and destroy a leader of the civil rights movement." [10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [11]

Accolades

MLK/FBI won the Best Documentary Award at the San Diego International Film Festival in October 2020. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Levison</span> American activist businessman, and lawyer (1912–1979)

Stanley David Levison was an American businessman and lawyer who became a lifelong activist in socialist causes. He is best known as an advisor to and close friend of Martin Luther King Jr., for whom he helped write speeches, raise funds, and organize events.

<i>C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America</i> 2004 mockumentary directed by Kevin Willmott

C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America is a 2004 American mockumentary film written and directed by Kevin Willmott.

David Jeffries Garrow is an American author and historian. He wrote the book Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1986), which won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. He also wrote Liberty and Sexuality (1994), a history of the legal struggles over abortion and reproductive rights in the U.S. prior to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama (2017), and other works.

<i>Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work</i> 2010 American film

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is a 2010 documentary film about the life and career of comedian Joan Rivers, also featuring Melissa Rivers, Don Rickles and Kathy Griffin.

<i>Selma</i> (film) 2014 film by Ava DuVernay

Selma is a 2014 American historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches which were initiated and directed by James Bevel and led by Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, and John Lewis. The film stars actors David Oyelowo as King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Tim Roth as George Wallace, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, and Common as Bevel.

<i>Seymour: An Introduction</i> (film) 2014 American film

Seymour: An Introduction is a 2014 American documentary film. Directed by Ethan Hawke, the film documents the career of Seymour Bernstein, a classical pianist who abandoned his rising career as a concert pianist at age 50 to retreat to a more modest, private life as a music educator and composer. The film premiered at the 2014 Telluride Film Festival, and was released on March 13, 2015, by IFC Films. As of May 2023, it has a 100% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

<i>(T)error</i> 2015 American film

(T)error – stylized as (T)ERROR – is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe. The film follows undercover FBI informant Saeed "Shariff" Torres as he engages in a sting operation targeting a Muslim man named Khalifah Ali Al-Akili as well as Tarik Shah. The film won the Special Jury Award for Breakout First Feature at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered.

<i>All the Way</i> (2016 film) 2016 television film directed by Jay Roach

All the Way is a 2016 American biographical drama television film based on events during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. Directed by Jay Roach and adapted by Robert Schenkkan from his 2012 play All the Way, the film stars Bryan Cranston, who reprises his role as Johnson from the play's 2014 Broadway production, opposite Melissa Leo as First Lady Lady Bird Johnson; Anthony Mackie as Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr.; and Frank Langella as U.S. Senator Richard Russell Jr. from Georgia.

<i>I Am Not Your Negro</i> 2016 documentary by Raoul Peck

I Am Not Your Negro is a 2016 German-American documentary film and social critique film essay directed by Raoul Peck, based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript Remember This House. Narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, the film explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin's recollections of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his personal observations of American history. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards and won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary.

<i>Blithe Spirit</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Edward Hall

Blithe Spirit is a 2020 British comedy film directed by Edward Hall and starring Dan Stevens, Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Judi Dench, Emilia Fox, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adil Ray, Michele Dotrice, and Aimee-Ffion Edwards. The film was based upon the 1941 play of the same name by Noël Coward, adapted for the screen by Nick Moorcroft, Meg Leonard, and Piers Ashworth.

<i>The Cave</i> (2019 Syrian film) 2019 Syrian documentary film

The Cave is a 2019 Syrian-Danish documentary film directed by Feras Fayyad and written by Fayyad and Alisar Hasan. A companion piece to his earlier film Last Men in Aleppo, the film profiles Dr. Amani Ballour, a physician in Ghouta who is operating a makeshift hospital nicknamed "the Cave" during the Syrian Civil War. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 5, 2019.

<i>Stardust</i> (2020 film) 2020 biopic about David Bowie by Gabriel Range

Stardust is a 2020 biographical drama film about English singer-songwriter David Bowie and his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, directed by Gabriel Range, from screenplay co-written by Range with Christopher Bell. Johnny Flynn stars as Bowie, alongside Jena Malone and Marc Maron in supporting roles.

<i>The Dissident</i> 2020 American documentary film by Bryan Fogel

The Dissident is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Bryan Fogel. It follows the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia's effort to control international dissent.

<i>Assassins</i> (2020 film) 2020 American film

Assassins is a 2020 American documentary film, directed and produced by Ryan White. It talks about the assassination of Kim Jong-nam and the two assassins who were tricked.

<i>Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds</i> 2020 documentary film directed by Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds is a 2020 documentary film directed by Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer. The film explores the cultural, spiritual, and scientific impact of meteorites, and the craters they create around the globe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Pollard (filmmaker)</span> American filmmaker

Samuel D. Pollard is an American film director, editor, producer, and screenwriter. His films have garnered numerous awards such as Peabodys, Emmys, and an Academy Award nomination. In 2020, the International Documentary Association gave him a career achievement award. Spike Lee, whose films Pollard has edited and produced, described him as being "a master filmmaker." Henry Louis Gates Jr. characterizes his work in this way: "When I think about his documentaries, they add up to a corpus — a way of telling African-American history in its various dimensions."

<i>Desert One</i> (film) 2019 American film

Desert One is an 2019 American documentary film directed and produced by Barbara Kopple. It follows Operation Eagle Claw, a mission that was an attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 embassy staff held hostage.

<i>Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes</i> 2018 American film

Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes is a 2018 American documentary film, directed and produced by Alexis Bloom. It follows the rise and fall of conservative media mogul Roger Ailes. Alex Gibney serves as an executive producer under his Jigsaw Productions banner.

<i>Holler</i> (film) 2020 American film

Holler is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Nicole Riegel in her feature directorial debut. It stars Jessica Barden, Becky Ann Baker, Pamela Adlon, Gus Halper and Austin Amelio. Paul Feig serves as an executive producer under his Feigco Entertainment banner.

<i>Enemies of the State</i> 2020 American film

Enemies of the State is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Sonia Kennebeck. It follows Matt DeHart, a former intelligence analyst and convicted sex offender, who claims that the FBI invented child pornography allegations against him in retaliation for possessing confidential documents alleging misconduct by the CIA. Errol Morris serves as an executive producer.

References

  1. "MLK/FBI". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  2. "MLK/FBI (2021)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  3. "MLK/FBI (2021)". The Numbers . Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  4. Documentary Exposes How The FBI Tried To Destroy MLK With Wiretaps, Blackmail : NPR
  5. Roger Ebert
  6. Wiseman, Andreas (July 30, 2020). "Toronto Sets 2020 Lineup: Werner Herzog, Regina King, Mira Nair, Francois Ozon, Naomi Kawase Titles Join Hybrid Edition". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  7. "MLK/FBI". New York Film Festival . Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  8. "The Re-Imagined 2020 San Diego International Film Festival". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  9. Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 15, 2020). "IFC Acquires North America On 'MLK/FBI' Docu About Harassment Of Civil Rights Icon By FBI – Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  10. "MLK/FBI (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  11. "MLK/FBI Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  12. "2020 Filmmaker Awards | San Diego International Film Festival". 2020-10-21. Archived from the original on 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-10-23.