Autumn Reporting Fellow Film Festival

Two featured films directed by Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellows highlight stories about confronting racism in America as they face adversities within their communities. 

Join the Pulitzer Center on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 7:00 pm EDT for a virtual Reporting Fellow Film Festival, featuring screenings of the following:

• The Friendliest Small Town in America, directed by 2020 Northwestern University Post-Graduate Reporting Fellow Curtis Franklin
• To The Plate, directed by 2021 Columbia Journalism School Reporting Fellows Gopika Ajay & Annick Laurent

A Q&A session with filmmakers Gopika Ajay and Curtis Franklin will follow the screenings.

This event is free, but registration is required to attend. Register today!

The Friendliest Small Town in America

Directed by Curtis Franklin

The first thing that Sherman Neal II ever learned about Murray, Kentucky, before he moved there two years ago was that it boasted a prominently displayed statue of Robert E. Lee in its downtown square. Neal asked how could the city honor a Confederate general who had committed treason against the United States, and fought to keep the brutal practice of slavery firmly cemented in the South. Neal decided to take action by requesting the removal of the statue, but was met with resistance even after fostering the support necessary to take action. 

To The Plate

Directed by Gopika Ajay & Annick Laurent

Filmmakers and Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellows Gopika Ajay & Annick Laurent show the younger generations’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the dramatic surge in anti-Asian violence. The documentary follows restaurateur Moonlynn Tsai and her romantic partner Yin Chang as they find a way to support local businesses and help East Asian seniors. This film explores the implications the coronavirus has on Asian citizens’ economic, social, and cultural well-being.