The filmmakers of Whose Streets?, chronicling the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri after the 2014 police killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, said the documentary attempts to show the humanity behind a community in crisis.
Whose Streets? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and follows the Ferguson community as they protested Brown’s death, which led to weeks of tense unrest that drew worldwide interest.
The film, co-directed by Sabaah Folayan and Missouri resident Damon Davis, combines social media and amateur footage with original footage depicting the actions of key people in the community.
“When mainstream media isn’t committed to solving these problems but is more committed to ratings, when politicians are so partisan that they’re confusing us, it becomes up to artists to show people the way,” Folayan said.
At this year’s festival, four films in the documentary competition delve into the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement that rose out of killings of Brown and other black men by police in various US cities in the past years.
