Peacock & Participant Launching Civil Rights Doc

Peacock and Participant have unveiled the civil rights documentary Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, directed by Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir.

The film chronicles a group of courageous, young Black activists who put their lives on the line to secure the right to vote and for Black Power in Lowndes County, Alabama. Told through first-person testimony and archival footage, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power is making its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this week and will stream on Peacock at a later date.

The documentary was inspired by Vann R. Newkirk II’s research and writing, as published in The Atlantic. He also served as consulting producer on the film.

Gandbhir and Pollard said: “What stood out to us about the history of Lowndes County’s role in the Civil Rights Movement was that it was locally led and that a key piece of SNCC’s [Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee] strategy was to leave behind a community that could continue working on its own behalf. As the struggle for racial justice and racial equity continues in this country, it was important for us to find values-led partners in Multitude, The Atlantic and Participant, and we’re excited that Peacock is now on board to share the film with audiences.”

Rachel Smith, executive VP of development at NBCUniversal, said: “We jumped at the chance to work with award-winning documentarians Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir. Lowndes County presented us with the unique opportunity to shed light on a lesser-known piece of the civil rights movement and is exactly the type of meaningful storytelling we strive to amplify at Peacock.”

David Linde, CEO of Participant, said: “The restoration and preservation of narrative is an important part of Participant’s work, and we are excited to collaborate with Peacock to share the story of Lowndes County with viewers. Geeta and Sam’s film vividly highlights the important contemporary truth that long after the Voting Rights Act was passed—and indeed still today—communities had to continue to fight to see those rights recognized.”