From 1864 well into the 1920s, in dozens of towns and counties, white Americans drove out entire African American communities. Many of these towns remain all white to this day.

Banished brings to light this hidden chapter of America's history, telling these dramatic stories for the first time. However, the film does more than present the historical facts.

Most of the film takes place today - investigating the ongoing impact of the expulsions on families and communities, Black and White.

In the stories of Black families whose land and livelihood were stolen, we see the limits of the legal system and the need for creative forms of repair.

By meeting these families and the white communities who banished them, the film asks us to consider our responsibility for past wrongs and our role in righting them.

Through the stories of three communities, Banished asks the difficult question: What can be done to redress past injustice?




Marco Williams: "Banished"

Hello, this is Marco the director of the documentary, "Banished." Please check out my website: banishedthefilm.com for clips and other good stuff.

So, what is "Banished" about? It is about a little know history in America when white residents of towns expelled all of the black residents, leaving many of these communities virtually all white today. Most of these expulsions or ethnic cleansings took place in border states, not the deep south. States like Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentuckey, Texas, Tennesse, and Georgia (the only specifically southern state. They took place between 1864 and 1920. But my film is a historical film. It is about these towns today; it is about the African American descendants of the banished blacks and the white descendants who populate these towns. It is about redress, reconcilliation and perhaps reparations.

I hope you'll take a look.
Speak to you at Sundance.
Marco "Hip" Williams

http://blogs.indiewire.com/parkcity/archives/012159.html


Director/Producer: Marco Williams
Co-Producer: Maia Harris
Editors: Kathryn Barnier, Sandra Christie
Camera: Stephen McCarthy,
Sound: J.T. Takagi
Music Composed by: David Murray
Original Art by: Karen Zasloff
Associate Producers: Shukree Tilghman, Van Dora Williams
Additional Camera: Elia Lyssy, Yoni Brook, John Foster, Jay A. Kelley,
Allen Moore
Additional Sound: Judy Karp, Philip Keeler, Bob Silverthorne

Music Performed by:
David Murray, saxophone
D.D. Jackson, piano
Jaribu Shahid, bass
Tani Tabbal, drums

Music Recording: Peter Karl Studios
Oral History Voices: Dewanda Wise, Dominique A. Toney
On-line Edit: BAVC/Shirley Gutierrez
Sound Design & Mix: Richard Fairbanks
Animation: Paul Docherty
Title Design: Christian J. Meany
Music Editor: Anne Pope
Photo Research: Carol Bash
Editing Assistants: Ari Bassin-Hill, Florence Holdeman
Production Assistants: Ben Ernst, German Valle

Interns
Ted Alcorn
Margaret Galbraith
Tehuti Jones
Scott Michaels

Legal
Matthew Lefferts
Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo P.C.

Accounting: Debi Zelko
Executive Producer for Two Tone Productions : Whitney Dow

Special Thanks
Kathy Amos
Andrew Alexander
Judy Alexander
Maurice Apprey
Orlando Bagwell
Jeff Christenson
William Lacy Clay Jr.
Todd Cox
Cyrus Driver
Jon Funabiki
Gerald Gill
Chris Graybill
Jane Greenberg
Didi Greene
Caroleen & Watson Hester
Patrick Huber
Irving Joyner
Alan Jenkins
Paul Jones
Charles Laughinghouse
Becky Lentz
Wendy Levy
Lisa Magarrell
Dr. Vera Miller
Jerry Moody
Gordon Morgan
Judy Reustle
Sara Rios
Will Roth
Anthony Sebok
Ja Shia
Wesley Walraven
Esta Wetherford
Margaret Wilkerson
Pam Zuber

For the Center for Investigative Reporting:
Executive Producers
Burt Glass
Dan Noyes

Senior Producers
Christa Scharfenberg
Oriana Zill de Granados

Production Managers
Erica Baker
Zusita Bakker

Inspired by the work of
Elliot Jaspin

Newspaper Series by
Cox Newspapers, Inc.

A co-production of
ITVS

in Association with
the National Black Programming Consortium,
Center for Investigative Reporting
and Two Tone Productions

Executive Producer for ITVS
Sally Jo Fifer

Executive Producer for NBPC
Jacqui Jones

With funding provided by
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Ford Foundation
New York Community Trust
LEF Foundation

© 2007: Center for Investigative Reporting and Two Tone Productions.
All Rights Reserved.
Development Funding from
the Anthony Radziwill Documentary Fund, IFP, Administrator
Website Design :
Krona Design
Website Implementation :
Hearty Handshake