The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “A Crime on the Bayou” on Tuesday, July 13 at 4 and 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“A Crime on the Bayou” is a poignant yet inspiring true story about allyship, justice and how groups of activists from disparate backgrounds have worked together in the quest to dismantle institutional racism.
Written and directed by Nancy Buirski, this eye-opening documentary had its world premiere at the 2020 DOC NYC Film Festival and is the third film in director’s trilogy profiling brave individuals who fought for justice in and around the Civil Rights era.
“A Crime on the Bayou” is the story of Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, a swampy strip of land south of New Orleans. In 1966, Duncan tries to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school. He gently lays his hand on a white boy’s arm. The boy recoils like a snake. That night, police burst into Duncan’s trailer and arrest him for assault on a minor.
A young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, leaves his prestigious D.C. firm to volunteer in New Orleans. With his help, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Systemic racism and pervasive anti-Semitism meet their match in decisive courtroom battles, including the U.S. Supreme Court; hate is vanquished by a powerful friendship that will last a lifetime.
“A Crime on the Bayou” will remind you how Duncan and Sobol are pillars of courage.
“Thoughtful and illuminating.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Infuriating and inspiring.” — News Daily
“Rarely has a film felt so essential.” — The Times-Picayune