Atlanta Documentaries

[Atlanta 1996: Atlanta’s Olympic Glory (dir. Bud Greenspan • 1997 • 206 minutes)]

Spanning fifty-three movies and forty-one editions of the Olympic Games, this set is the culmination of a monumental, award-winning archival project encompassing dozens of new restorations by the International Olympic Committee. The documentaries collected here cast a cinematic eye on some of the most iconic moments in the history of modern sports, spotlighting athletes who embody the Olympic motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger": Jesse Owens shattering world records on the track in 1936 Berlin, Jean-Claude Killy dominating the Grenoble slopes in 1968, Joan Benoit breaking away to win the Games' first women's marathon in Los Angeles in 1984. In addition to the impressive ten-feature contribution of Bud Greenspan, this stirring collective chronicle of triumph and defeat includes such documentary landmarks as Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia and Kon Ichikawa's Tokyo Olympiad, along with captivating lesser-known works by major directors like Claude Lelouch, Carlos Saura, and Miloš Forman. It also offers a fascinating glimpse of the development of film itself, and of the technological progress that has brought viewers ever closer to the action. Traversing continents and decades, reflecting the social, cultural, and political changes that have shaped our recent history, this movie marathon showcases a hundred years of human endeavor.

Gates travels to the east coast, the deep South, inner city Chicago, and Hollywood to investigate modern black America and interview influential Americans including Colin Powell, Quincy Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Alicia Keys, Maya Angelou, Willie Herenton and others.

Tells the story of the Koinonia Farm, founded in 1942 by a courageous Christian group of blacks and whites who worked together even though they were surrounded by segregationist Georgians. They withstood bullets, bombs and boycotts in the years leading up to the tumultuous Civil Rights era. Includes an audio interview with the founder Clarence Jordan.

In this documentary, the governor of Georgia, two state senators, a man-on-the-street in Atlanta, and folklorist John Burrison speak in one voice authenticating Brunswick stew as a most beloved folk heritage stew of Georgia. The filmmaker reaches back into the Woodward Studio Folklife Archives in making this in-depth story of the origins of Brunswick stew in Georgia, ending up with freshly-shot footage of the Stewbilee in Brunswick, GA, where we hear from a member of the Georgia Sea Island Singers about her ancestors from the days of slavery who cooked Brunswick stews.

They lived in the same place, at the same time, but in very different worlds. He was black. She was white. He was a champion of racial equality who laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights movement. She won the Pulitzer Prize for a book widely regarded as racist. Yet, for years, the author of "Gone With the Wind" secretly corresponded with the legendary president of one of the finest black institutions of higher learning in the nation, Morehouse College - and her anonymous donations provided medical educations for more than 40 African American doctors. A carefully guarded secret for decades, this remarkable, unlikely friendship between Margaret Mitchell and Dr. Benjamin E. Mays finally comes to light - as Andrew Young reveals new details about the fascinating little known story of two of the 20th century's most influential figures, and how their quiet friendship affected not only each other, but the entire country.

This is the story of Ralph McGill, who emerged during the 1950s and '60s as the most prominent and influential Southern white opponent of racial segregation, and one of America's most revered journalists.

Vols. 1-3 tell the story of America's civil rights years from 1954 to 1965; vols. 4-7 examine the new America from 1966 to 1985, from community power to the human alienation of urban poverty.

An independent documentary about women in Spelman College's class of 1964, who participated in the largest coordinated series of civil rights protests in Atlanta's history as college freshmen.

A docudrama that takes a gripping look at the historical incidents that created an international movement to free activist Angela Davis, and tells the story of social justice activism that lands her on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list

The story of the integrated group of college students who decided in the spring of 1961 to ride a Greyhound bus from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans to bring attention to racial inequity in the United States. Recounts the hostile reception they received in the segregated South, the support they gradually achieved from civil rights leaders and organizations, and how their actions eventually forced the United States government to enforce the law regarding desegregation in interstate travel and public accommodations.

This short film documents the period 1948-1961, when an abnormally high rate of failure for Jewish dental students at Emory pointed to a culture of anti-Semitism on campus

This is the story of Jonathan Myrick Daniels, a 26-year-old Episcopal seminary student who answered the call of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to help register African-American voters in Alabama. Daniels was killed by a sheriff's deputy while pulling a young black woman out of the line of fire.

Examines social inequities by highlighting the contrast between the state-of-the-art Mercedes Benz stadium that was built in Atlanta and the two neglected and poor neighborhoods just across the street from it: English Avenue and Vine City. Filming took place between 2016-2018.

Examines the socio-cultural and economic development of the city of Atlanta in eight 30-minute episodes

The story of one of America's true musical geniuses, Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South through his meteoric rise to the top of American musical charts.

Traces the journey of a small town California boy who planned to be a minister like his father, but instead became the greatest conductor of choral music the world has ever known. At the heart of the film is the mystery of Shaw's genius. With no formal musical training, he achieved a stunning early success in popular music and later became legendary for his interpretations of classical music's great choral masterpieces. An early champion of civil rights, Shaw had a mystical belief in the power of community and could communicate his passion for music with spellbinding intensity. As Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the latter half of the twentieth century, Robert Shaw changed the course of musical history through the many voices he set on fire with an enduring love of music

Documentary about the annual Brunswick stewbilee festival in Brunswick, Georgia.

In the 1960s, H. Rap Brown was a vocal civil rights activist who scared white America with a fiery rhetoric of violence. Now Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, the former Black Panther since converted to Islam, is back in the spotlight, accused of killing a deputy sheriff in Atlanta. This program examines the murder case in the context of who Al-Amin was and who he has been since changing his name and beliefs while in prison.

Takes a look at the early life of Martin Luther King, Jr., focusing on his early encounters with prejudice, how his loving, strong, and supportive family moved him to speak out against segregation, how his father inspired him to follow his dreams, and the series of events that led to a national civil rights referendum.

An independent documentary probing expectations that Atlanta would use the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games for widespread urban renewal, especially for the revitalization of poor, inner-city neighborhoods.

Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons speaks about her years in the civil rights struggle and her experience as a muslim woman.

Explores the lives and works of Richard Wright, Eudora Welty, Robert Penn Warren, Ralph Ellison, Flannery O'Connor, Lillian Smith, William Faulkner, and others, and the South's bi-racial culture and deep sense of "Place" during the years from 1941-1962.

A short overview of the ARC's plan to address Atlanta's future transportation needs

Filmed during a guided tour of civil rights landmarks, [the program] blends potent archival footage and photos with group discussion to sensitively explore race relations in the U.S. Visits to Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, Memphis, Atlanta, Orangeburg, and other locations, combined with eyewitness accounts of key events by survivors of those years, steer the group's dialogue. Together, these concerned individuals -- white as well as black -- grapple with the issues of anger, identity, prejudice, discrimination, education, and reconciliation.