MLK/FBI

Friday, February 5 - Thursday, March 11, 2021

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard (Editor, 4 Little Girls, Mo’ Better Blues; Director/Producer, Eyez on the Prize, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me) lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the ’50s and ’60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. In crafting a rich archival tapestry, featuring some revelatory restored footage of King, Pollard urges us to remember that true American progress is always hard-won.

All screenings of MLK/FBI feature an exclusive video introduction from director Sam Pollard, recorded to welcome back audiences to IFC Center for our reopening. Watch a compilation of highlights from some of the filmmaker intros we received here.

Included with the IFC Center At Home screening ticket is an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A with director Sam Pollard, immediately following the film. Additionally, IFC Center AT Home presentations of MLK/FBI screen with the short film MARQUEE (2013, 4 min, dir. Joe Stankus): a lyrical black-and-white visit with now-retired logtime IFC Center usher Larry Alaimo as he changes the letters on the theater’s iconic marquee and reminisces about a life at the movies
 

  • Country USA
  • Language English
  • Year 2021
  • Running Time 102 minutes
  • Distributor IFC in Theatres, LLC
  • Director Sam Pollard
  • Writer Benjamin Hedin, Laura Tomaselli
  • Producer Benjamin Hedin
  • Editor Laura Tomaselli
  • Accessibility Closed Captioning

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.