Doc Soup: Hot Docs' monthly screening series that presents Festival hits and award-winning docs.
Told by the activists and leaders who were in the thick of this movement for racial justice, Whose Streets? is a raw and unflinching look at the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri, after unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed in broad daylight by a white police officer. The incident was the breaking point for Ferguson residents, a town with a history of long-standing racial tension; where people of colour, who make up most of the population, are served by a glaringly white police force. Brown’s death prompted demonstrations, heavy-handed policing, violence and, eventually, national outcry. As the national guard descended on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, this film shows empowered parents, artists and teachers from across the country who unified as freedom fighters, becoming the torchbearers of a new resistance. An impassioned battle cry from a generation fighting for the right to live, it is an emotionally turbulent film that provides a ground-level look at this national tragedy, which was the catalyst to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Co-producer Chris Renteria in attendance for post-screening Q&As at all screenings.