Energetically edited, the film follows the case and its legal appeals, creating a collage of archive materials and testimonies from the group members, relatives, the activist Assata Shakur (filmed just before her escape from Clinton Correctional Facility for Women) and voices of local inhabitants, particularly the Black women of Wilmington. The associative structure connects injustices with the historical legacies of slavery and segregation laws, and with massacres and violence perpetrated by white supremacists.
“This absorbing and deeply empathetic film is a masterclass in documentary filmmaking, showcasing the racism of the criminal justice system, the systematic oppression of political activism, and the resilience of generations of Black communities and families who fight against these systems.” - Mark Toscano
Hardly seen for decades, Wilmington 10 – USA 10,000 is screened in a new restoration by the Academy Film Archive.
Wilmington 10 – USA 10,000, 1979, Haile Gerima, 16mm, 120 min.
DCP screening, original version with Catalan subtitles.
Copy provided by Academy Film Archive.
Acknowledgements: Mypheduh Films Inc. and Merawi Gerima.
