YoFi DMAC

Because we feel that conversations about racial equality and social justice in this country are more important now than ever, we have partnered with the Kunhardt Film Foundation, a not-for-profit educational media company that produces documentary films, interviews and teaching tools about the people and ideas that shape our world, to present this important film and offer a talkback for realtime discussion.

 

King in the Wilderness chronicles the final chapters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, revealing a conflicted leader who faced an onslaught of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. While the Black Power movement saw his nonviolence as weakness, and President Lyndon B. Johnson saw his anti-Vietnam War speeches as irresponsible, Dr. King’s unyielding belief in peaceful protest became a testing point for a nation on the brink of chaos. Dr. King’s leadership during the bus boycotts, the sit-ins and the historic Selma to Montgomery marches is now legendary, but much of what happened afterward – during the last three years of his life – is rarely discussed. It’s a time when Dr. King said his dream “turned into a nightmare.” Drawing on conversations with those who knew Dr. King well, including many fellow members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King in the Wilderness reveals stirring new perspectives on Dr. King’s character, his radical doctrine of nonviolence and his internal philosophical struggles prior to his assassination in 1968. The documentary also features archival footage, behind-the-scenes video of Dr. King’s private moments, intimate archival photographs and phone conversations recorded by President Johnson, who was both ally and adversary in King’s fight for civil rights.

 

This screening is made possible by a partnership between YoFiFest and The Kunhardt Film Foundation, a not-for-profit educational media company located in Pleasantville, NY, that produces documentary films, interviews and teaching tools about the people and ideas that shape our world.

 

The post-film online discussion will be hosted by Trey Ellis, one of the film’s Executive Producers and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University.

 

To put the social into social distancing, we've developed an online screening series called Friday Flicks, where we curate an evening of independent film that includes a screening and an opportunity to (virtually) meet the filmmakers. The online screening and discussion are both free, so you'll be sent a link to watch the film online at your convenience. You can also register to be part of the discussion on Zoom at 8pm this Friday, but it has limited space and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one ticket is needed per screen, so you only need to only sign up once for the whole family to watch together.