Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story (2012)

Directed by

Raymond De Felitta

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 30m

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 4 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary examines the life and legacy of Booker Wright, an African-American waiter who spoke out about racism in a 1960s television interview. It explores the consequences he faced and the community he lived in, using interviews with family and neighbors.

soberinghistoricalreflectivepersonalunflinchingearnestslow-paced

What happens

Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story is a 2012 documentary film about Mack Barkes "Booker" Wright, an African-American waiter who worked in a restaurant for whites only. In 1965, Wright appeared in Mississippi: A Self Portrait, a short NBC television documentary about racism in the American South. During his interview with producer Frank De Felitta, he spoke openly about racism, and his treatment as a waiter in an all-white restaurant. The broadcast of his remarks had catastrophic consequences for Wright. Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story was directed by the son of Frank De Felitta, Oscar-nominated, independent filmmaker Raymond De Felitta, produced by David Zellerford, and co-produced by one of Booker Wright's four grandchildren, Yvette Johnson. It includes interviews with those who lived in the community. They discuss life at the time, and the restaurant Wright owned, which catered to African-American customers. The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2012. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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