Freedom Riders is a 2010 American historical documentary film, produced by Firelight Media for PBS American Experience based in part on the book Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice by historian Raymond Arsenault. Directed by Stanley Nelson, it marked the 50th anniversary of the first Freedom Ride in May 1961 and was first aired on May 16, 2011.
The film chronicles the story behind hundreds of civil rights activists called the Freedom Riders who challenged the racial segregation of the American interstate transport and by traveling together in small interracial groups and sitting where they chose on the buses and trains to demand equal access to terminal restaurants and waiting rooms, and to bring racial segregation national attention.
The film is currently used within Firelight Media’s national outreach campaign, to serve as an educational and advocacy tool by NGOs and non-profit partners in order to support young people who are mobilizing around contemporary social issues such as, immigrant rights, youth violence, and environmental issues.
The film was also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show program titled, Freedom Riders: 50th Anniversary.
Nelson was helped in the making of the documentary by Arsenault and Derek Catsam, an associate professor at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.Synopsis
En archives et témoignages exceptionnels, une immersion au jour le jour dans une spectaculaire bataille du Mouvement des droits civiques aux États-Unis, au printemps 1961 : les "voyages de la liberté" pour déségréguer dans le Sud les grandes lignes de bus.