MLK/FBI

Opened Friday, February 5

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard (Editor, 4 LITTLE GIRLS, MO’ BETTER BLUES; Director/Producer, EYEZ ON THE PRIZE, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I’VE GOTTA BE ME) lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the ’50s and ’60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. In crafting a rich archival tapestry, featuring some revelatory restored footage of King, Pollard urges us to remember that true American progress is always hard-won.

Included with the screening ticket is an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A with Director Sam Pollard, immediately following the film.

Screening with the short film MARQUEE (2013, 4 min, dir. Joe Stankus): a lyrical black-and-white visit with now-retired longtime IFC Center usher Larry Alaimo as he changes the letters on the theater’s iconic marquee and reminisces about a life at the movies.

Country USA
Language English
Year 2021
Accessibility Closed Captioning
Running Time 102 minutes
Director Sam Pollard
Writer Benjamin Hedin, Laura Tomaselli
Producer Benjamin Hedin
Editor Laura Tomaselli