The day after Ava DuVernay’s new film, “13TH,” opened the 54th New York Film Festival in the fall, some of the people interviewed in the film came together for an extended conversation exploring the many issues explored in the powerful documentary about race and criminal justice.
From the portrayal of black men in popular culture, dating back to D. W. Griffith’s 1915 “Birth of a Nation,” to the progression from slavery to mass incarceration and the persistent demonization and killing of black men by police in our cities today, the discussion considers how the past connects with our present reality.
Participants include Ashley Clark (BFI), Jelani Cobb (The New Yorker), Malkia Cyril (Center for Media Justice), Kevin Gannon (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning), and Khalil Gibran Muhammad (Harvard Kennedy School; former Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture).
The 90-minute discussion was moderated by Eugene Hernandez, Deputy Director of Film Society of Lincoln Center.
“13TH” is a Netflix original documentary and can currently be streamed there.
Watch the 90-minute discussion below: