Earlier this year, Magnolia Pictures acquired North American rights to the feature documentary “Whose Streets?”, after it made its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

Directed by Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis, the film is a nonfiction account of the Ferguson, Missouri uprising told through the eyes and by the people who lived it. It’s an unflinching look at how the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown inspired a community to fight back – and sparked a global movement.

A statement from the co-directors of the film reads (condensed): “Every day Americans experience a mediascape that humanizes whiteness, delving into the emotional lives of privileged white protagonists while portraying people of color as two-dimensional (and mostly negative) stereotypes. Nowhere was this more apparent than 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… We are intimately aware of how we are portrayed in the media and how this portrayal encourages both conscious and unconscious racial bias. We are uniquely suited to make this film because we ourselves are organizers, activists and we are deeply connected to the events of August 9th and beyond. We are making this film, in part, as tribute to our people—our deeply complex, courageous, flawed, powerful, and ever hopeful people—who dare to dream of brighter days. This is more than a documentary…this is a story we personally lived. This is our story to tell.”

Jennifer MacArthur, Flannery Miller and Chris Renteria are producers.

Magnolia (an Oscar-nominated documentary in “I Am Not Your Negro” now on their resume) has announced an August 11, 2017 USA theatrical premiere for the documentary, coinciding with the anniversary of Mike Brown’s murder.

An explosive trailer for “Whose Streets?” is embedded below: