ABC News Studios has announced a new Hulu Original documentary, Sound of the Police, which begins streaming on Friday, August 11th.
What’s Happening:
- Sound of the Police examines the fraught relationship between African Americans and the police, often rife with tension, fear, suspicion and hostility on all sides. Framed by some of the most recent conflicts between Black Americans and police officers, which garnered national media attention, the film traces the country’s complex racial history that set the path for policing in Black communities and fuels the ongoing conflict between African American communities and law enforcement.
- From the origins of the first police forces in the South during slavery to the mob violence that erupted against African Americans in the North after the great migration to the more recent high-profile cases forever etched in America’s collective conscience, Sound of the Police tells the story of a troubled, complex and volatile relationship and exactly how the country got here. The documentary also looks at contemporary efforts to confront and resolve that conflict.
- Sound of the Police is directed by Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson and co-directed by Valerie Scoon.
- Produced by Firelight Films for ABC News Studios, the feature-length documentary, which will have a special preview screening at the BlackStar Film Festival followed by its official world premiere at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, will begin streaming Friday, August 11th, only on Hulu.
What They’re Saying:
- Director Stanley Nelson: “This film couldn’t be more timely, but it also closely connects to much of the history that I’ve explored in my past work — from the Civil War-era slave patrols, the advent of Jim Crow at the turn of the century, the uprisings against police brutality in the latter half of the 20th century to the many acts of police violence against African Americans that we’ve witnessed in the media in recent times. We’re thrilled to partner with ABC News Studios on this important project and look forward to sharing and discussing the film with audiences.”
- Co-director Valerie Scoon: “It’s been a rewarding experience working with Stanley and Firelight Films on this project. While much of my work as a director and producer has engaged with African American history, this film is particularly personal. Stanley and I are both parents of young adults, and that perspective has informed the importance we place on examining the history of the relationship between law enforcement and the Black community. We hope this film will inspire conversations that will save lives and build stronger communities.”
- Mike Kelley, head of ABC News Studios: “It is an honor for ABC News Studios to be working with incredible storytellers Stanley Nelson and Valerie Scoon. They have an unparalleled ability to detail the lives of Black Americans as they do so thoughtfully in their examination of the complex relationship with law enforcement in Sound of the Police.”
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