Silver Dollar Road

For the 1932 biography, see Silver Dollar (film).
Silver Dollar Road
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRaoul Peck
Written byRaoul Peck
Based onKicked Off The Land
by Lizzie Presser
Produced by
  • Raoul Peck
  • Blair Foster
  • Rémi Grellety
  • Hebert Peck
Cinematography
  • Henry Adebonojo
  • Antonio Rossi
Edited byAlexandra Strauss
Music byAlexei Aigui
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon MGM Studios
Release dates
  • September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08) (TIFF)
  • October 13, 2023 (2023-10-13) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Silver Dollar Road is a 2023 American documentary film written, directed and co-produced by Raoul Peck, based on the ProPublica (in collaboration with The New Yorker) article "Kicked Off The Land" by Lizzie Presser. The film follows a water front property passed through generations in the Reels family, becomes subject to harassment by land developers. Viola Davis serves as an executive producer.

It had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, and was given a limited theatrical release on October 13, 2023, by Amazon MGM Studios, prior to streaming on Prime Video on October 20, 2023.

Plot

For generations, a waterfront property in North Carolina, known as Silver Dollar Road, is passed through generations in the Reels Family. Developers seek out the land, and begin to harass the family, leading the Reels to battle to save their land. The film draws upon reporting by Lizzie Presser for ProPublica.[3][4]

Production

Videographers Mayeta Clark and Katie Campbell filmed Lizzie Presser as she reported on the story, resulting in 90 hours of footage.[5] Initially, Raoul Peck was approached by Amazon Studios, JuVee Productions and ProPublica to executive produce the project. Upon reading Lizzie Presser's reporting, Peck decided to direct the film.[6]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023.[7] It also screened at the Camden International Film Festival and The Georgia Film Festival on September 15, 2023.[8][9] It was given a limited theatrical release on October 13, 2023, by Amazon MGM Studios, prior to streaming on Prime Video on October 20, 2023.[10]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 42 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Silver Dollar Road's overwhelming compassion for its subjects helps this powerful story transcend its occasionally uneven telling."[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]

References

  1. ^ de la Fuente, Anne Marie (October 3, 2023). "Amazon Studios Now Called Amazon MGM Studios, Exec Pablo Iacoviello Reveals in Iberseries Keynote". Variety. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "Silver Dollar Road". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Presser, Lizzie (July 15, 2019). "Their Family Bought Land One Generation After Slavery. The Reels Brothers Spent Eight Years in Jail for Refusing to Leave It". ProPublica. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. ^ Presser, Lizzie (July 15, 2019). "Kicked Off the Land". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  5. ^ Presser, Lizzie (September 8, 2023). ""I Want the Anger to Be Your Anger": Bringing a ProPublica Investigation From Page to Screen". ProPublica. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  6. ^ Morfoot, Addie (September 8, 2023). "'Silver Dollar Road' Director Raoul Peck on Working With Amazon, Racial Injustice and How to End a Documentary". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  7. ^ Carey, Matthew (July 26, 2023). "TIFF Announces Documentary Lineup, With Film On Louis C.K. Scandal, Plus Latest From Raoul Peck, Errol Morris, Lucy Walker, Roger Ross Williams". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Morfoot, Addie (August 22, 2023). "Camden Film Festival, a Key Stop on the Awards Circuit for Doc Contenders, Reveals 2023 Lineup (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "Silver Dollar Road". Camden International Film Festival. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "40 Films to See This Fall". The Film Stage. August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  11. ^ "Silver Dollar Road". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  12. ^ "Silver Dollar Road". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 26, 2023.