Locked Out, a Detroit-based documentary follows Black women as they battle evictions, predatory lending, and modern-day redlining in what the filmmakers describe as America’s most segregated city.
Produced by Saville Productions and directed by Oscar nominee Kate Davis and Luchina Fisher, Locked Out, will screen at the 27th American Black Film Festival in Miami on Saturday, June 17th at 1:45 PM at the O Cinema South Beach.
“It’s easy to talk about the importance of equitable housing, but what’s too often missing from the conversation is the actual experiences of those on the ground,” said co-director Luchina Fisher, who received a 2022 GLAAD Media Award nomination for her feature debut Mama Gloria. “It’s eye-opening to see up close how our current system keeps mostly Black residents locked out of building wealth in America, but it was also stunning to witness the work Black women are putting in to save their communities.”
The documentary, which combines vérité filmmaking and archival footage, features longtime Detroit residents Soummer Crawford and Geraldine Smith-Bey, as well as experts from the University of Michigan, the United Community Housing Coalition, Ohio State University, and more. The film also spotlights those behind Detroit’s devastating use of land contracts.
Locked Out premiered in April at Detroit’s Freep Film Festival, where it received the Shine a Light Award for its heroic portrayal of the women on the front lines of the fair housing battle. After the American Black Film Festival, the documentary will head to the Newark Black Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, and San Francisco Doc Fest to drum up nationwide support for the issue.
“I had read about the racial gap in homeownership across the country, but going to Detroit and embedding with vibrant Black female housing activists and women facing eviction was both dramatic to behold and traumatic for those we filmed,” said co-director Kate Davis, who received an Academy Award nomination for her film Traffic Stop and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for her landmark documentary Southern Comfort.
Watch the trailer for Locked Out.