*The most powerful documentary film you will see this year is “The Picture Taker” by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Phil Bertelsen (“Who Killed Malcolm X?”), which is now streaming on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS.
Per the official synopsis: The film spotlights the legacy of Ernest Withers, the famed photojournalist behind the photos of historic leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, which spread word about the social injustices African Americans faced in the U.S.
Over the course of six decades, Withers snapped nearly 2 million images of the public, capturing critical moments in American history from The Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Memphis sanitation strike, and the turbulent aftermath of Dr. King’s death. Yet he took a closely-guarded secret to his grave, and never publicly disclosed his secret affiliation with the FBI.
Check out the trailer below.
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“The Picture Taker,” per the synopsis, features interviews with both FBI personnel who engaged with Withers and activists like Rosetta Miller-Perry. This doc explores the juxtaposition of Withers’ work as a witness, photographer, and potential spy for the U.S. government.
“The Picture Take” highlights milestone moments in American history and the ongoing fight for African American liberation, as told through Withers’ photos.
You can stream the film here.
EUR’s Ny MaGee caught up with Bertelsen to speak about the undeniable impact Withers left and the perceptions of his double life. Watch our exclusive conversation about this intriguing and fascinating project via the clip below.
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