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Birth of a Movement (2017)

The Battle Against America's First Blockbuster

Genre : Documentary

Runtime : 57M

Director : Bestor Cram, Susan Gray

Synopsis

In 1915, Boston-based African American newspaper editor and activist William M. Trotter waged a battle against D.W. Griffith’s technically groundbreaking but notoriously Ku Klux Klan-friendly The Birth of a Nation, unleashing a fight that still rages today about race relations, media representation, and the power and influence of Hollywood. Birth of a Movement, based on Dick Lehr's book The Birth of a Movement: How Birth of a Nation Ignited the Battle for Civil Rights, captures the backdrop to this prescient clash between human rights, freedom of speech, and a changing media landscape.

Actors

Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Narrator
Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Self
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Self
Reginald Hudlin
Reginald Hudlin
Self

Crews

Bestor Cram
Bestor Cram
Director
Susan Gray
Susan Gray
Director
Kwyn Bader
Kwyn Bader
Writer
Dick Lehr
Dick Lehr
Writer

Trailers and other movies

Independent Lens | Birth of a Movement | Trailer | PBS

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