Aspen Film renounces the pernicious injustice, prejudice, and systemic racism that is growing more in this country daily. Prejudice and discrimination are learned, and our hope is that by shedding light on injustice and inequality, people can be exposed to different perspectives and learn tolerance. Film, as a discipline, helps to open windows to the world and offer shared experiences. We hope to help foster greater understanding through our offerings, and are working to present films that amplify the voices of artists whose work will help us understand our history – past and present. Now is the time for change.
Films About Social Injustice
JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE (2020)
MAGNOLIA PICTURES
Each stream of JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE is $12 and once purchased, you will have 72 hours to watch the film.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little agitation for what’s right or what’s fair.” – John Lewis
Directed by Dawn Porter
96 min
Using interviews and rare archival footage, JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE chronicles Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration. Using present-day interviews with Lewis, now 80 years old, Porter explores his childhood experiences, his inspiring family and his fateful meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. In addition to her interviews with Lewis and his family, Porter’s primarily cinéma verité film also includes interviews with political leaders, Congressional colleagues, and other people who figure prominently in his life.
“Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.” – John Lewis
Immediately following the feature, there will be a pre-recorded discussion between Representative Lewis and Oprah Winfrey, filmed last month and being made available exclusively for virtual cinema and in-theater engagements of the film. This is a wide-ranging, informal, 16-minute conversation that’s a perfect follow-up to the documentary, and could not be more relevant.
See below to read some very moving recent interviews with Congressman Lewis.
The Washington Post
Oprah Magazine
New York Magazine
“The vote is precious. It’s almost sacred, so go out and vote like you never voted before.” – John Lewis
SELMA (2014)
Directed by Ava DuVernay
128 min
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.