Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story

2012

While filming a documentary on racism in Mississippi in 1965, Frank De Felitta forever changed the life of an African-American waiter and his family. More than 40 years later, Frank's son Raymond (director of City Island) returns to the site of his father's film to examine the repercussions of their fateful encounter. This intensely personal film about children struggling to understand their parents is also a heartbreaking portrait of the legacy of intolerance.

Director: Raymond De Felitta

Starring: Frank De Felitta, Yvette Johnson, Vera Douglas, Katherine Jones,Raymond De Felitta

Reviews

  • This remarkable new documentary from Raymond De Felitta ("City Island") fruitfully revisits the aftermath of a TV doc that his father, Frank, produced for NBC in 1965.

    Lou Lumenick - New York Post

    11 May 2013

  • The film, which plays like "The Help" minus the safety net of nostalgia, provides a powerful reminder that as we all carry history with us, it is still possible for each of us to change it.

    - Los Angeles Times

    11 May 2013

  • The director illuminates how the town's racial and economic dynamics have changed, while simultaneously reflecting on the ethics of nonfiction filmmaking. It's a powerful testament to how far we both have and haven't come.

    - Time Out New York

    11 May 2013

  • Frank De Felitta's guilt over having aired the footage is moving, yet it's ultimately countered by this piercing film's stance - promoted by the subject's proud children and grandchildren - that Wright's statements, far from a slip of the tongue, were an intentional act of courageous defiance.

    Nick Schager - Village Voice

    11 May 2013

  • Beautifully put together in just about every way, it will be potent stuff on the small screen but deserves its moment in theaters.

    John DeFore - The Hollywood Reporter

    11 May 2013

Awards

  • Lynn Roer

    International Documentary Association (2012)