Film Forum

Winner, Best Documentary, 2025 Tribeca Film Festival

Natchez, Mississippi: a town of 15,000 that, for generations, has drawn tourists to its immaculately restored antebellum mansions, some hosted by hoop-skirted white matriarchs, for an experience dubbed “Pilgrimage.” As interest declines in and questions arise about showcasing these regal estates with tall tales of the “Old South,” Natchez faces a reckoning—with a romanticized, sanitized historical narrative and the debt it owes to the descendants of slaves. Directed by Suzannah Herbert—a Memphis-born documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on the American South—NATCHEZ follows owners of historic plantations, local activists and politicians, and both white and African American tour guides as they tell their ever-more conflicting versions of the town's past, and of American history. “One of the great documentaries of the 21st century—and the 19th century as well.” – Stephen Saito, The Moveable Fest

Fall of Freedom is an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. Beginning November 21–22, 2025, galleries, museums, libraries, comedy clubs, theaters, and concert halls across the country will host exhibitions, performances, and public events that channel the urgency of this moment. Fall of Freedom is an open invitation to artists, creators, and communities to take part—and to celebrate the experiences, cultures, and identities that shape the fabric of our nation.

Presented with support from The Richard Brick, Geri Ashur, and Sara Bershtel Fund for Social Justice Documentaries

86 MIN.     USA     OSCILLOSCOPE LABORATORIES

NATCHEZ will open for an exclusive New York City engagement at Film Forum on January 30, 2026

Suzannah Herbert is a documentary director and editor from Memphis whose directing work focuses on the American South. Herbert directed and produced the twice Emmy-nominated film WRESTLE. Named one of the top 5 documentaries of 2019 by the National Board of Review, lauded as “superb” by the Los Angeles Times, and hailed as a New York Times Critic’s Pick, WRESTLE was released theatrically by Oscilloscope and broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens. As an editor, she has collaborated on various Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga projects, music videos and award-winning films like 2022’s A WOMAN ON THE OUTSIDE (SXSW 2022, PBS’s America Reframed). Her second feature film, NATCHEZ, premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, was supported by ITVS, Catapult Film Fund, the Ford Foundation, Rooftop Films Fund, CIFF Points North Fellowship, Logan Nonfiction Fellowship, Yaddo, True False Catapult Rough Cut Retreat, and Film Independent.

Renowned theater actress, Tonya Pinkins is a three-time Tony nominee, winning the award in 1992 for her performance as Sweet Anita in Jelly’s Last Jam. Over the course of her career in theater, she has also been recognized with Opie, Lortel, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, AUDLECO, Garland, LA Drama Critics Circle, Clarence Derwent and NAACP Theater awards. On television, Pinkins can currently be seen in Tyler Perry’s popular dramedy series Sistas, and she recently starred in the critically acclaimed ABC limited series Women of the Movement. Pinkins also appeared in the series God Friended Me, Fear the Walking Dead, Gotham, 24, and J.J. Abrams’ 11.22.63. She is also an award-winning filmmaker for her debut feature, RED PILL.