Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard (Editor, 4 LITTLE GIRLS, MO’ BETTER BLUES; Director/Producer, EYEZ ON THE PRIZE, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I’VE GOTTA BE ME) lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the ’50s and ’60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. In crafting a rich archival tapestry, featuring some revelatory restored footage of King, Pollard urges us to remember that true American progress is always hard-won.
- Director: Sam Pollard
- Country: USA
- Genre: Documentary
- Year: 2021
- Run Time: 01:44:00
- imdb Score: 6.7/10 (85 votes)
- Language: English
- Rating: Not Rated
- Cast: James Comey, Beverly Gage, Martin Luther King
Robert Daniels - THE PLAYLIST
"MLK/FBI reveals shocking behavior by the American government, but the most troubling aspect of its revelations is that nobody had to answer for it."
Eric Kohn - INDIEWIRE
"It’s a useful reminder not just that this American hero was a widely vilified figure during his lifetime but also that he accomplished everything he did despite nonstop resistance from intelligence agencies, the media, and the public alike."
A.A. Dowd - THE A.V. CLUB
San Diego Int'l Film Festival 2020
Best Documentary
Santa Fe Independent Film Festival 2020
Best Documentary Feature
Heartland Film 2020
Best Director
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 2020
Best Documentary
Toronto Int'l Film Festival 2020
Chicago Int'l Film Festival 2020
New York Film Festival 2020
St. Louis Int'l Film Festival 2020
Int'l Documentary Festival Amsterdam 2020
New York Film Festival 2020
Middleburg Film Festival 2020
SCAD Savannah Film Festival 2020