Film

Birth of a Movement

2017 · 57m · Documentary

The Battle Against America's First Blockbuster

IMDb

7.5

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.

Danny Glover

Narrator (voice)

Spike Lee

Self

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Self

Reginald Hudlin

Self

• Bestor CramDirector
• Susan GrayDirector
• Kwyn BaderWriter
• Dick LehrWriter

Independent Lens | Birth of a Movement | Trailer | PBS

Release date

February 6, 2017

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

57m

Genres

Documentary