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Descendant (2022 film)

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2022 American film
Descendant
Netflix release poster
Directed byMargaret Brown
Written by
  • Margaret Brown
  • Dr. Kern Jackson
Produced by
  • Margaret Brown
  • Kyle Martin
  • Essie Chambers
Cinematography
  • Justin Zweifach
  • Zac Manuel]
Edited by
  • Michael Bloch
  • Geoffrey Richman
Music by
Production
companies
  • Participant
  • Night Tide Production
  • Take One Five Entertainment
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • January 2022 (2022-January) (Sundance)
  • October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21)
Running time109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Descendant is a 2022 American historical documentary film directed by Margaret Brown, chronicling the story behind Africatown in Alabama, and the descendants of the last known enslaved Africans brought to the United States aboard the Clotilda. The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it was picked up for wider distribution by Higher Ground Productions and Netflix. It received a theatrical release on October 21, 2022 and was available to stream on Netflix that day as well.

Synopsis

In 1808, the United States passed an act of Congress that abolished the international slave trade, making it illegal to bring slaves across the Atlantic ocean and back to America. However, in 1860, the owner of the Clotilda, Timothy Meaher, and his crew started their voyage to Africa. Once arriving, they had purchased and taken well over one hundred slaves. On July 9, 1860, 110 African men, women, and children, survived that voyage and were dropped off at the Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama. William Foster, the captain, burned the ship and tried to destroy any traces of evidence pertaining to this illegal expedition. Centuries later, the descendants of the slaves on the Clotilda, reside in this town of Mobile, Alabama, now known as Africatown. The descendants have worked to fight for justice and find the Clotilda in the river. The wreckage of the Clotilda was found in 2019 in the Mobile River of Alabama, and this film explores the community of Africatown and the descendants of some of the last known enslaved Africans that were brought to the United States aboard her 40 years after slave trading had already been deemed a capital offense.

Production and release

After the wreckage of the Clotilda was discovered, director Margaret Brown spent four years with the residents of Africatown examining how the discovery impacted the lives of descendants of the last known slaves brought to the US. Brown also produced the film alongside Kyle Martin and Essie Chambers for Participant and Take One Five Entertainment. The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, after which it was picked up by Higher Ground Productions and Netflix for theatrical and streaming distribution. It continued on the festival circuit at the SXSW Festival as a Festival Favorite. The film was released to select theaters and on Netflix on October 21, 2022.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100%, with an average score of 8.4/10, based on 69 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Descendant serves as a fantastically compelling example of how history can be reclaimed -- and a stirring tribute to a resilient community." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 12 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Jake Coyle called it "One of the best films of the year" in his review for the Associated Press.

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival January 30, 2022 US Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision Descendant Won
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 13, 2022 Best Documentary Feature Nominated
Best Historical Documentary Won
Best Director Margaret Brown Nominated
National Board of Review December 8, 2022 Top 5 Documentaries Descendant Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 12, 2022 Best Documentary Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association December 14, 2022 Best Documentary Film Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle December 22, 2022 Best Documentary Film Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists January 5, 2023 Best Documentary Nominated
National Society of Film Critics January 7, 2023 Best Non-Fiction Film Runner-up
Austin Film Critics Association January 10, 2023 Best Documentary Nominated
Best Austin Film Won
Cinema Eye Honors January 12, 2023 Outstanding Direction Margaret Brown Nominated
Outstanding Original Score Ray Angry, Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell Nominated
Georgia Film Critics Association January 13, 2023 Best Documentary Film Descendant Runner-up
Black Reel Awards February 6, 2023 Outstanding Documentary Feature Nominated
Satellite Awards February 11, 2023 Best Motion Picture – Documentary Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards February 25, 2023 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Margaret Brown, Kyle Martin, and Essie Chambers Nominated

Cast

  • Theodore Arthur
  • Gary Autrey
  • Chris Davis
  • Joycelyn Davis
  • Willomina Davis
  • James Delgado
  • Bobby Dennison
  • Mary Elliot
  • Vivian Davis Figures
  • Karlos Finley
  • Mike Fitzgerald
  • Shiela Flanagan
  • Anderson Flen
  • Michael Foster
  • Patricia Frazier
  • Vernetta Henson
  • Fredrik T. Hiebert
  • Herndon Inge
  • Kern Jackson
  • Cleon Jones
  • Lisa Jones
  • Mae Jones
  • Annah Lewis
  • Ayanna Lewis
  • Emmett Lewis
  • Rayla Lewis
  • Robert Lewis
  • Garry Lumbers
  • Ralphema Lumbers

Producers

  • Louis Black as associate producer
  • Margaret Brown as producer
  • Essie Chambers as producer
  • Shawn Gee as executive producer
  • Kate Hurwitz as executive producer
  • Kern Jackson as co-producer
  • Kristen Mann as line producer
  • Kyle Martin as producer
  • Christine Mattsson as co-executive producer
  • Questlove as executive producer
  • Jeff Skoll as executive producer
  • Tariq Trotter as executive producer
  • Diane Weyermann as executive producer
  • Zarah Zohlman as executive producer

References

  1. Jackson, Angelique (January 29, 2022). "Netflix, Higher Ground Acquires Sundance Award Winner Descendant". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022.
  2. Allen, Matthew (February 1, 2022). "Obama's Higher Ground, Netflix acquire 'Descendant' documentary". TheGrio. Allen Media Group.
  3. Carey, Matthew (March 16, 2022). "Higher Ground's Descendant Reveals Story Of America's Last Known Slave Ship And Its Powerful Legacy — SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
  4. ^ Coyle, Jake (October 19, 2022). "Review: 'Descendant' powerfully telescopes past and present". Associated Press.
  5. "Descendant". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  6. "Descendant". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  7. "2022 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced - sundance.org". Sundance Institute. January 28, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. Davis, Clayton (October 17, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'Good Night Oppy' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  9. Zilko, Christian (November 13, 2022). "'Good Night Oppy,' 'Get Back' Dominate Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  10. Jones, Marcus (December 8, 2022). "2022 National Board of Review Winners: 'Top Gun: Maverick' Takes Top Honor". IndieWire. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  11. Anderson, Erik (December 10, 2022). "Washington DC Film Critics nominations: 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'The Fabelmans' lead". Awards Watch. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  12. Tallerico, Brian (December 12, 2022). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Leads Chicago Film Critics Nominations". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  13. Neglia, Matt (2022-12-14). "The 2022 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  14. "2022 EDA Awards Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  15. Zilko, Christian (2023-01-07). "'TÁR' and 'Aftersun' Win Big at National Society of Film Critics Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  16. "2022 Austin Film Critics Association Award Nominations". Austin Film Critics Association. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  17. Jones, Marcus (November 10, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'The Territory' Lead 2023 Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Nominees". IndieWire. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  18. "2022 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) awards". Georgia Film Critics Association. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  19. Anderson, Erik (December 15, 2022). "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' 'The Woman King' lead 2023 Black Reel Awards nominations". Awards Watch. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  20. Anderson, Erik (December 8, 2022). "'Top Gun: Maverick' leads International Press Academy's 27th Satellite Awards nominations". Awards Watch. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  21. Nayar, Sheila J. (April 2022). ""Descendant." Journal of Religion & Film". International Press Academy. doi:10.32873/uno.dc.jrf.26.01.013. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  22. "Producers Guild of America Awards Celebrates Everything Everywhere All At Once, White Lotus, The Bear, Navalny & more with Top Honors" (Press release). Los Angeles: Producers Guild of America. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  23. Carey, Matthew (December 12, 2022). "PGA Awards Documentary Nominations Bring Shocks and Surprises: Nothing Compares In, All The Beauty And The Bloodshed Out". Deadline. Retrieved January 12, 2023.

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