- Welcome to POV.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Through tonight's film,
we take a trip to the American Deep South, with a detour--
at least creatively-- through West Africa,
to discover the heritage of our tour guide,
who also happens to be the director of tonight's film,
After Sherman.
When the Civil War ended,
Union General Tecumseh Sherman
met with Southern Black ministers
and ensured that their people
received their 40 acres and a mule.
Much of this land was an island
that stretched from Charleston, South Carolina
to Florida's St. John's River,
which is about 400,000 acres.
This is where many Black families settled,
including the family of director Jon-Sesrie Goff.
The film follows Goff
as he goes back to his native Coastal Carolina land
that has been in his family
since shortly after emancipation.
Goff's goal in going home?
To get in touch with his family's rich history,
including his Gullah Geechee heritage.
The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of West Africa.
Goff calls his film
a quasi-personal doc about his family and community.
He learns about Black inheritance, racism,
generational challenges facing his people, and trauma;
all part of the fabric of his family's history in America.
Helping Goff absorb all this
is Reverend Dr. Norvel Goff,
Jon-Sesrie's father.
The Reverend was the pastor
at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston
when a white supremacist murdered nine of Goff's parishioners
during a bible study in June of 2015.
From this tragedy, we see the resiliency of the Gullah Geechee,
which is alive and well in Reverend Goff.
At one point,
he tells his son that he will continue to stay positive
and pay forward the joy in life,
as opposed to choosing anger over the violent crimes
inflicted on his people
so as not to let people that commit such crimes win.
This is Jon-Sesrie Goff's feature film directorial debut.
He chose to use experimental and non-traditional doc elements
against the backdrop of quiet small-town life,
and some amazing photography.
He uses 16-millimeter archival footage.
Goff interweaves interviews, animation,
and old home movies throughout the story.
In a recent interview,
Goff said his artistic and creative influences
were all around him when he was growing up.
He says he descends from a long line of storytellers.
Tonight, the tradition continues.
After Sherman starts now
on PBS Wisconsin, your home for independent film.