‘Whose Streets?’ Filmmakers Explore Ferguson, Black Lives Matter (Video)
Damon Davis and Sabaah Folayan’s documentary about the social unrest that erupted on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 is getting high marks at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The film covers the protests and violence that happened after outraged citizens took to the streets following the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. at the hands of a police officer. It also traces the beginnings of the Black Lives Matter movement.
TheWrap caught up with the co-directors in Park City, Utah. They emphasized that when “the bodies of children are bleeding out in the streets,” it’s not the time to protect the reputation of “good cops.”
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“If I have a broken leg, I’m not going to go to the doctor and want to hear about, ‘Well, at least your arm is working,” Folayan told TheWrap. “We need to talk about the problem,” she said.
The film represents Folayan’s directorial debut, made along with her directing partner Davis, a visual artist. The two wrote a statement that appears on the film’s official site, which frames the urgency of the doc. It includes the line: “…In the case of Mike Brown, who, in spite of being college bound & well regarded by his community, was portrayed as a ‘thug’ and a ‘criminal.’ For this reason, it is essential that Black people be the ones to tell our own true stories.”
Watch part of their interview with TheWrap above.
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