Freedom Riders (film)

Freedom Riders is a 2010 American historical documentary film, produced by Firelight Media for PBS American Experience. The film is based in part on the book Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice by historian Raymond Arsenault.[1] Directed by Stanley Nelson, it marked the 50th anniversary of the first Freedom Ride in May 1961 and first aired on May 16, 2011.[2][3] It was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The film was also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show program titled, Freedom Riders: 50th Anniversary.[4] Nelson was helped in the making of the documentary by Arsenault and Derek Catsam, an associate professor at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.[5]

Not to be confused with Freedom Writers.

Freedom Riders
Film poster
Directed byStanley Nelson Jr.
Written byStanley Nelson Jr.
Produced by
  • Stanley Nelson Jr.
  • Laurens Grant
Production
company
Distributed byInternational Film Circuit
Release date
  • February 2010 (2010-02) (Santa Barbara)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", making it the seventh film designated in its first year of eligibility, the first in the 2010s, and the most recently released film to be selected until 2011's Pariah was inducted in 2022.

Summary

The film chronicles the story behind hundreds of civil rights activists called Freedom Riders that challenged racial segregation in American interstate transportation during the Civil Rights Movement. The activist traveled together in small interracial groups and sat wherever they chose on buses and trains to compel equal access to terminal restaurants and waiting rooms. They brought the ongoing practice of racial segregation in the southern United States to national attention.

Reception and legacy

Freedom Riders has received generally positive reviews from television critics and parents of young children. Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun wrote, "One of the great social epics of our time."[6]

In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7] It is the first in the 2010s to be put in the registry.

Awards

See also

Further reading
  • Arsenault, Raymond (2006). Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199755813.
  • Catsam, Derek Charles. Freedom's Main Line: The Journey of Reconciliation and the Freedom Rides, 2009 University Press of Kentucky.
  • Etheridge, Eric; McWhorter, Diane; Wilkins, Roger (2008). Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders. New York: Atlas & Company. ISBN 9780977743391.

References
  1. About the Film PBS.
  2. 50th Anniversary of the First Freedom Ride: New Documentary Recounts Historic 1961 Effort to Challenge Segregated Bus System in the Deep South - Democracy Now!
  3. "Freedom Riders mark 50 years". USA Today. May 6, 2011.
  4. Freedom Rider The Oprah Winfrey Show.
  5. Freedom Riders documentary explores civil rights events - Chron
  6. Sragow, Michael (January 4, 2011). "Stanley Nelson earns Writers Guild of America Nomination". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  7. Alter, Rebecca (December 14, 2020). "Shrek Has Been Inducted Into the National Film Registry". Vulture. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  8. Freedom Riders Archived 2013-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Truly moving pictures, Heartland Film Festival
  9. Library List Retrieved 2013-01-12
  10. IMDb: Emmy Awards for 2011 Retrieved 2012-11-04
  11. IMDb: Eddie Awards for 2011 Retrieved 2012-11-04
  12. IMDb: WGA Awards for 2011 Retrieved 2012-11-04
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