Descendant
Netflix release poster
Directed byMargaret Brown
Written by
  • Margaret Brown
  • Dr. Kern Jackson
Produced by
  • Margaret Brown
  • Kyle Martin
  • Essie Chambers
Cinematography
  • Justin Zweifach
  • Zac Manuel]
Edited by
  • Michael Bloch
  • Geoffrey Richman
Music by
Production
companies
  • Participant
  • Night Tide Production
  • Take One Five Entertainment
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • January 2022 (2022-January) (Sundance)
  • October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Descendant is a 2022 American historical documentary film directed by Margaret Brown, chronicling the story behind Africatown in Alabama, and the descendants of the last known enslaved Africans brought to the United States aboard the Clotilda. The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it was picked up for wider distribution by Higher Ground Productions and Netflix. It received a theatrical release on October 21, 2022 and was available to stream on Netflix that day as well.

Synopsis

The wreckage of the Clotilda was found in 2019 in the Mobile River of Alabama, and the film explores the community of Africatown and the descendants of some of the last known enslaved Africans that were brought to the United States aboard her 40 years after slave trading had already been deemed a capital offense.

Production and release

After the wreckage of the Clotilda was discovered, director Margaret Brown spent four years with the residents of Africatown examining how the discovery impacted the lives of descendants of the last known slaves brought to the US. Brown also produced the film alongside Kyle Martin and Essie Chambers for Participant and Take One Five Entertainment. The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival,[1] after which it was picked up by Higher Ground Productions and Netflix for theatrical and streaming distribution.[2] It continued on the festival circuit at the SXSW Festival as a Festival Favorite.[3] The film was released to select theaters and on Netflix on October 21, 2022.[4]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100%, with an average score of 8.4/10, based on 69 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Descendant serves as a fantastically compelling example of how history can be reclaimed -- and a stirring tribute to a resilient community."[5] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 12 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[6] Jake Coyle called it "One of the best films of the year" in his review for the Associated Press.[4]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival January 30, 2022 US Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision Descendant Won [7]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 13, 2022 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [8]
[9]
Best Historical Documentary Won
Best Director Margaret Brown Nominated
National Board of Review December 8, 2022 Top 5 Documentaries Descendant Won [10]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 12, 2022 Best Documentary Nominated [11]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 14, 2022 Best Documentary Film Nominated [12]
Florida Film Critics Circle December 22, 2022 Best Documentary Film Nominated [13]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists January 5, 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [14]
National Society of Film Critics January 7, 2023 Best Non-Fiction Film Runner-up [15]
Austin Film Critics Association January 10, 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [16]
Best Austin Film Won
Cinema Eye Honors January 12, 2023 Outstanding Direction Margaret Brown Nominated [17]
Outstanding Original Score Ray Angry, Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell Nominated
Georgia Film Critics Association January 13, 2023 Best Documentary Film Descendant Pending [18]
Black Reel Awards February 6, 2023 Outstanding Documentary Feature Nominated [19]
Satellite Awards February 11, 2023 Best Motion Picture – Documentary Pending [20]
Producers Guild of America Awards February 25, 2023 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Margaret Brown, Kyle Martin, and Essie Chambers Nominated [21][22]

References

  1. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 29, 2022). "Netflix, Higher Ground Acquires Sundance Award Winner Descendant". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022.
  2. ^ Allen, Matthew (February 1, 2022). "Obama's Higher Ground, Netflix acquire 'Descendant' documentary". TheGrio. Allen Media Group.
  3. ^ Carey, Matthew (March 16, 2022). "Higher Ground's Descendant Reveals Story Of America's Last Known Slave Ship And Its Powerful Legacy — SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
  4. ^ a b Coyle, Jake (October 19, 2022). "Review: 'Descendant' powerfully telescopes past and present". Associated Press.
  5. ^ "Descendant". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Descendant". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced - sundance.org". Sundance Institute. January 28, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Davis, Clayton (October 17, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'Good Night Oppy' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Zilko, Christian (November 13, 2022). "'Good Night Oppy,' 'Get Back' Dominate Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Jones, Marcus (December 8, 2022). "2022 National Board of Review Winners: 'Top Gun: Maverick' Takes Top Honor". IndieWire. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 10, 2022). "Washington DC Film Critics nominations: 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'The Fabelmans' lead". Awards Watch. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Tallerico, Brian (December 12, 2022). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Leads Chicago Film Critics Nominations". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  13. ^ Neglia, Matt (2022-12-14). "The 2022 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  14. ^ "2022 EDA Awards Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  15. ^ Zilko, Christian (2023-01-07). "'TÁR' and 'Aftersun' Win Big at National Society of Film Critics Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  16. ^ "2022 Austin Film Critics Association Award Nominations". Austin Film Critics Association. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  17. ^ Jones, Marcus (November 10, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'The Territory' Lead 2023 Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Nominees". IndieWire. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  18. ^ Anderson, Erik (January 7, 2023). "2022 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 15, 2022). "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' 'The Woman King' lead 2023 Black Reel Awards nominations". Awards Watch. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  20. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 8, 2022). "'Top Gun: Maverick' leads International Press Academy's 27th Satellite Awards nominations". Awards Watch. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  21. ^ "Producers Guild of America Awards Celebrates Everything Everywhere All At Once, White Lotus, The Bear, Navalny & more with Top Honors" (Press release). Los Angeles: Producers Guild of America. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  22. ^ Carey, Matthew (December 12, 2022). "PGA Awards Documentary Nominations Bring Shocks and Surprises: Nothing Compares In, All The Beauty And The Bloodshed Out". Deadline. Retrieved January 12, 2023.

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