Descendant, one of the most anticipated films at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, will be presented by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground Productions. The film is planned to be released through Netflix as a part of their multi-year production deal, Deadline reports.
Directed by Margaret Brown, the documentary follows the lost narratives of the passengers of Clotilda—a slave ship full of enslaved Africans who were brought to the United States in bondage in 1860—by giving voice to their descendants in this powerful documentary. The ship reached Alabama, in a town called Africatown 40 years after African slave trading was outlawed. Two wealthy men brought the ship to Alabama, wagering that they could capture Africans and bring them back as slaves without anyone discovering their misdeeds. Eventually, they brought approximately 100 captive Black people to the town but burned and sunk the ship, erasing all evidence of their horrific crimes.
The highly-acclaimed documentary was also featured in EBONY’s 10 Must-See Films at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
In a statement, Brown expressed her excitement about the film being picked up by Higher Ground and Netflix.
“I have been humbled and honored to spend four years with the residents of Africatown as they seek justice and reconciliation for what happened in 1860, and what is still happening today,” she said. “I am excited that through Netflix and Higher Ground’s global reach, audiences around the world will learn this powerful history.”
Executive producers of the highly-anticipated documentary include The Roots’ founders Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter along with Shawn Gee.
A winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision at Sundance this year, Descendant is slated for release on Netflix later this year.
