Sundance. Banished.

"With Iraq documentaries all the rage, it's refreshing to come across an old-fashioned nonfiction piece that sets its lacerating sights not 'over there,' but right here at home, in the heartland and neighborhoods of America," writes Anthony Kaufman at indieWIRE. "In another revealing account of racial injustice in the US of A, director Marco Williams (Two Towns of Jaspar) investigates the banishment, or to put it more provocatively 'racial cleansing,' of blacks from American towns in the early 20th century." A "potent documentary."

"Banished," writes James Greenberg in the Hollywood Reporter, "adds another compelling and necessary chapter to the literature of racism in this country."

The Reeler interviews Williams.

Online viewing tip. "As an African American man in an openly racist community, and as a documentary filmmaker, Williams is clearly self-aware. But instead of playing the traditional cinema verité director's role of 'fly-on-the-wall,' he (bravely) embraces his the position as conspicuous interloper." Megan Cunningham talks with Williams for Zoom In Online.

Coverage of the coverage: The Park City Index.

Posted by dwhudson at January 31, 2007 7:52 AM