Freedom Summer

In the summer of 1964, the Civil Rights Movement was active in Mississippi, where hundreds of activists were trying to register black voters across the state. Freedom Summer — a sequel of sorts to Freedom Riders (Mountainfilm 2010), which was also directed by Stanley Nelson — tells the story of that tumultuous summer, looking closely at the brave men and women who risked or lost their lives in the effort to make a fundamental change. This documentary also explains the larger national situation as President Johnson, pressured by the summer’s events, addressed the systemic racism prevalent in both political parties.