USA / 2006 / 86mins / Documentary / English

From 1864 well into the 1920's, in dozens of towns and counties, white Americans drove out entire African American communities. Many of these towns remain all white to this day. Banished brings to light this hidden chapter of America's history, telling these dramatic stories for the first time. However, the film does more than present the historical facts. Most of the film takes place today, investigating the ongoing impact of the expulsions on families and communities, Black and White.

Marco Williams

Marco Williams was born in 1956. He is a producer and director, known for Two Towns of Jasper (2002), Banished: How Whites Drove Blacks Out of Town in America (2006) and In Search of Our Fathers (1992). He received a B.A. from Harvard University, in Visual and Environmental Studies, a Master of Arts degree from UCLA in Afro-American Studies and a Master of Fine Arts also from UCLA in their Producer’s Program. He is currently a Professor at Northwestern University in the School of Communication, the Department of Radio, Film and Television and a Professor in Residence at Northwestern University in Qatar. His work has received awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the “Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor” in Documentary Studies and American Studies at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill”, a George Foster Peabody Award, the Beacon Award, the Alfred I duPont Silver Baton, among many others. Learn More