Two Trains Runnin' Directed
by
Sam Pollard USA / 2016 / 82 minutes New York Premiere
Screening
Times and Venues:
Q&A Attendees *subject to change: Sam Pollard
SYNOPSIS:
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard is the gold-standard in documentary film and "Two Trains Runnin'" is no exception. In June 1964, Mississippi was a battleground; the Civil Rights Movement threatened to explode in the faces of crooked cops, while the Ku Klux Klan used violence, murder and intimidation to keep Jim Crow securely in place. Hundreds of white, middle-class, college kids mobilized to register black voters in what became known as "Freedom Summer." Simultaneously, two much smaller groups, unaware of the turmoil and each other, descended upon Mississippi with their own mission -- to locate and revive two long-forgotten blues legends.
Bolstered by the soulful narration of Common, Pollard's powerful archival imagery interspersed with poignant animated reenactments transport viewers back to a volatile time when America was dramatically transformed forever. As the audience sways to the soulful plucking of Son House, it's impossible not to think about this ugly chapter in our history and reflect on what is going on today. -- Jon Greenhalgh
BIO: Sam Pollard is an Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated documentarian. He produced the HBO documentaries "4 Little Girls" and "When the Levees Broke", and directed the feature "Slavery by Another Name", which premiered at Sundance and subsequently aired on PBS. Pollard has directed several episodes of American Masters for PBS, as well as two episodes of the groundbreaking series ""Eyes on the Prize". He edited "Sinatra: All or Nothing At All", "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song", "Feel Like Going Home" - part of The Blues series directed by Martin Scorsese, and dozens of other films. He teaches at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
MAIN CREDITS:
Cast/Featuring: Common, Gary Clark Jr., Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Chris Thomas King, Valerie June, North Mississippi Allstars
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annual program and year-round schedule of film, music,
and art-related activities that promote artists, culture,
inspired learning, and diversity. The Hudson Valley Film
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