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Jane Elliott Against the World

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United States202699 minEnglish
Jane Elliott Against the World

A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.

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A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.

For more than 50 years, educator Jane Elliott has made it her mission to dismantle racism, regardless of the personal cost. She introduced her contentious “Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes” social experiment in the immediate aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination; subsequent media exposure including the 1970 documentary The Eye of the Storm took her lesson across the country. Back home in Riceville, Iowa, however, Elliott and her family faced a backlash that has left a lasting impact. As Judd Ehrlich’s compelling portrait demonstrates, she remains an unapologetic and outspoken force of nature, determined to use her privilege to effect change, especially now, when her message is needed the most. Jane Elliott Against the World is an urgent film for this moment and Elliott isn't about to quiet down. — BT

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1) and credentialed press and industry (January 28–February 1). 

PremieresAll FeaturesBiographyWomen-Centered StoriesNonfictionClosed CaptionOpen CaptionU.S. Only- less

Credits

  • Director(s)

    Judd Ehrlich

  • Producers

    Judd Ehrlich

    Max Powers

    Elena Gaby

  • Cinematographers

    Peter Eliot Buntaine

    Sean Hanley

  • Edited by

    Max Powers

    Leah Goudsmit

    Albin R. Pepe

  • Composer

    Khari Mateen

  • Participants

    Jane Elliott

    Killer Mike

    Ibram X. Kendi

Meet the Artist

Panelist Name

Judd Ehrlich

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Judd Ehrlich is an Emmy-, Grand Clio-, and Cannes Lion-winning documentary director and producer. According to The New York Times, he "clearly knows his craft". His films, including The Price of Freedom, Keepers of the Game, and We Could Be King, premiered at the Tribeca Festival and have aired on ABC, CNN, ESPN, and HBO.

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