Allensworth

Through twelve scenes—one for each month—Allensworth portrays the first self-governed Black town in the U.S., founded in 1908 in California. Now a state park, the site becomes the starting point for a visual meditation on the erasure of Black history and lost futures. Closely observing the remaining structures, the film, presented at Berlinale, invites a contemplative experience where time, space, and memory intertwine. An austere and immersive work that, with delicacy and rigor, reveals the deep imprint of oppressive systems.