Hi r/movies! This is director Suzannah Herbert and producer Darcy McKinnon, creators of the documentary NATCHEZ. NATCHEZ won Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2025, and went on to win dozens of awards at major festivals before a theatrical release from Oscilloscope. We've had such an amazing journey sharing the film with sold out crowds across the country. Starting today, the film will be available to rent at home on your favorite digital VOD platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
We're here to answer your questions.
Synopsis:
After generations of showcasing its antebellum homes and hoop-skirted docents, Natchez, Mississippi, is now reckoning with a romanticized past, an uncertain future and the debt it owes to the descendants of slavery. A cinematic portrait of a tourist town at a crossroads, NATCHEZ follows an array of historic homeowners, activists and tour guides as they tell their versions of the past, and clash over who gets to tell America’s story.
Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGfxjgoa9Y
And the website with theater listings and VOD links: natchezfilm.com
Ask us anything! Back tomorrow Tuesday 3/31 at 1 PM ET to answer questions.
by NatchezAMA
11 Comments
sounds like an intense and necessary exploration of history. what was the biggest challenge you faced while making the documentary?
what’s going to be next for you, any projects do you have in mind?
No questions, jjst dropping by to saw I saw the film in Chicago a few weeks ago and it was incredible. Being from south Mississippi, it was excellent to see this perspective!
Did you experience any pushback while making this documentary, considering its depicting a more problematic side of a tourist town?
Hi Suzannah and Darcy. Thanks for joining us 🙂
What was the experience like premiering at Tribeca? Any cool moments/highlights from that?
How did you feel about “Sinners”, the attention it’s received and the way Ryan Coogler delved into similar themes and turned them into a gorgeous action/horror blockbuster? Did you find the movie did its theme justice and do you think movies like that are helpful or hurtful in bringing attention to the type of rich, but tragic history you explore in the documentary? Is there anything in the movie you wish he would have clarified or shined a light on that you do in your documentary?
The ‘modern sanitization’ of history is such a fascinating and difficult topic. During filming, did you find that most residents were aware they were romanticizing a specific version of the past, or was there a genuine sense of ‘this is just our tradition’ that made it hard to break through? Thanks for doing this!
Did any of the people/residents you interacted with automatically assume you shared their opinion or bias based on your appearance alone?
Loved the documentary! How did you manage to catch so many candid moments? Do you have a process of helping the subjects forget the camera?
this sounds really interesting, especially with the way it tackles such a complex topic. what was the biggest challenge you faced while making this doc?
How many plantation owners did you speak with about filming vs how many allowed you to film?
What surprised you about them?