The 25th edition of the Indie Memphis Film Festival will open at the Halloran Centre on October 19 with The Picture Taker, director Phil Bertelsen’s documentary about Memphis photographer Ernest Withers.
Withers was famous for his indelible images of Black life in Memphis and the 1968 Sanitation Workers’ Strike. After his death, his role as a paid informant for the FBI was revealed, leaving many to question his legacy in the Civil Rights movement. Bertelsen’s film wrestles with Withers’ complex life and legacy.
Bertelsen’s most recent project, the six-part series Who Killed Malcom X?, prompted a re-investigation of the Civil Rights leader’s 1965 assassination that exonerated two men who had been wrongly convicted of participating in the crime.
“We’re thrilled and honored to be chosen as the Indie Memphis opening night film!” says Bertelsen. “The Picture Taker couldn’t have been made without the many Memphians who sat before and behind our cameras — opening their homes and hearts and lending their stories and creativity to this production. We look forward to bringing this story back home to the city that was Ernest Withers’ muse. Thank you, Memphis!”
This year’s film festival will run from October 19-24, both in-person at various venues in the Bluff City and in the online virtual format that emerged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full lineup will be revealed at a preview party at Black Lodge on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30 p.m. You can RSVP to the preview part and purchase passes to the festival at the Indie Memphis website.