- Welcome to Independent Lens .
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Tonight, we bring you a film
that won the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award.
It's the story of a man who tragically lost his son
at the hands of the police and, while seeking justice,
found himself at the center of a movement and a documentary
in the film Ferguson Rises .
Ferguson Rises explores the aftermath of the police shooting
of Michael Brown, Jr., a young man who at 18 was
killed on the street in broad daylight in Ferguson, Missouri.
It's a city where 67% of the residents are African American,
but Blacks only make up 6% of the city's police force.
This story led national news headlines for weeks
and sparked protests all over the country,
helping spawn the Black Lives Matter movement.
And it thrust the victim's father, Michael Brown, Sr.,
into the limelight
while still grieving the loss of his son,
showing us an emotional side of black men
rarely shown in cinema.
Ferguson Rises is directed by Mobolaji Olambiwonnu,
who said he felt called to Ferguson
upon seeing the news of Michael Brown's death.
The director tried connecting with Brown, Sr.
through the Brown Foundation,
but his inquiries went nowhere.
He was about to give up hope altogether
until he saw Brown dining nearby at a local fish fry restaurant.
Olambiwonnu approached Brown, who at first seemed reluctant
but eventually talked to the director,
and a relationship was formed.
At the time of Michael Brown's death,
Olamiwonnu was expecting his first child.
He said his goal in making the film
was to paint a new narrative for his son
of what he hoped the future could look like
for black people.
The result is a film about tragedy, transcendence,
and hope.
Ferguson Rises starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.