The Story is in the Telling
06. Counter Histories: Rock Hill
The Friendship 9 staged a sit-in in Rock Hill, SC in 1961. This multi-award-winning film documents their story in their own words.
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In this Tomorrow Pictures original, meet the men who stood up for their rights by sitting down at the counter of the Rock Hill, SC Five and Dime. They asked for a cup of coffee and were instead met with violence, police brutality, and 30 days in hard labor prison. A small town just miles from Charlotte, NC, Rock Hill became a landmark of the Civil Rights Movement. This multi-award winning documentary tells the story of one of the most significant, but not well-known moments, of the civil rights movement. The Friendship 9 stage a sit-in in Rock Hill, SC. They introduce and test the "Jail No Bail" strategy that invigorates the movement and is the precursor to the Freedom Rides.
After gathering interviews and documents from 5 of the original participants in the sit-in, the director/producer team of Fr3deR1cK and Ellen Barnard knew they had stumbled onto a great story that needed to be told to a wider audience. The tactic these young men employed - going to jail instead of accepting bail - was a test case for the Freedom Rides, and helped energize a movement that was stalled in the South - by bringing national media attention to the battles they fought.
The film aired on television as part of PBS's REEL SOUTH nationally distributed series and on Magic Johnson's Aspire Network's ABFF series. The longer format 30 minute and 60 minute versions have played in over 25 film festivals, been awarded numerous accolades and a distribution deal for digital outlets.
Tomorrow Pictures began this project with a grant form the University of Mississippi's Southern Foodways Alliance and presented an 8-minute short film as part of filmmaker Kate Medley's Counter Histories 5 part series honoring the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
Director: Fr3der1cK / Producer: Ellen Barnard
Read more at Jail No Bail
Download the Press Kit HERE
Awards & Accolades
Official Selection New Media Film Festival 2015 Los Angeles
2015 Official Selection GCUFF Foundation
Official Selection Hollyshorts Film Festival 2015
Silver Award Winner Spotlight Short Film Awards 2015
Taos Shortz Film Fest Official Selection 2016
Official Selection Tribute Film Festival 2016
Official SelectionCollege Town Film Festival 2016
2016 Official Selection Maryland International Film Festival Hagerstown
Official Selection Firstglance Film Festival Los Angeles 2016
Official Selection West Chester Film Festival 2016
Official Selection Cayfilm Cayman International Filmfestival
Southern Shorts Awards Winner
Official Selection Awareness Festival 2016
Official Selection Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston
Official Selection Africa World Documentary Film Festival 2018
Official Selection Angeles Documentaries 2018
Official Selection Berlin Motion Picture Festival 2017
Official Selection Best Shorts Competition 2017
Official Selection Long Beach Indie International Film, Media and Music Festival 2018
Official Selection Miami Independent Film Festival 2018
Official Selection Ocean City Film Festival 2018
Reading FilmFest 2018
Official Selection San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2018
Official Selection The IndieFest Film Awards 2018
Official Selection The Wayward Festival 2018
Official Selection Twin Rivers Media Festival 2018
Official Selection Urban Mediamakers Festival (UMF) 2018
Official Selection Virgin Spring Cinefest 2017
Official Selection Global Peace Peace Film Festival 2018
Official Selection The International Gullah Film Festival 2018
Official Selection Culture and Diversity Film Festival 2018
Schools & Libraries
Purchase a streaming version or DVD for your school or library HERE
Description:
This counter sit-in changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement. As the test case for the “bail no jail” strategy, this is one of the most significant moments of the movement. On January 31st, 1961, in the tiny town of Rock Hill SC, the men who would become known as the Friendship 9 walked across town from their college and sat down at a whites only lunch counter. They were arrested, went to jail, and did not opt for bail. They spent 30 days in a South Carolina prison doing hard labor. The national news picked up their story – and the movement would go on to successfully use the new strategy, eventually leading to the passing of the Civil Rights Act. It’s an untold American story of unsung small town heroes who changed the world.
Length: 29 minutes
Item#: BVL127986
ISBN: 978-1-64023-047-7
Copyright date: ©2015
Closed Captioned
This is a documentary that should be screened at every school in the nation.
-Hollywood RedCarpet Report
In this Tomorrow Pictures original, meet the men who stood up for their rights by sitting down at the counter of the Rock Hill, SC Five and Dime. They asked for a cup of coffee and were instead met with violence, police brutality and 30 days in hard labor prison. A small town just miles from Charlotte, NC, Rock Hill became a landmark of the Civil Rights Movement. The tactic these young men employed - going to jail instead of accepting bail - was a test case for the Freedom Rides, and helped energize a movement that was stalled in the South - by bringing national media attention to the battles they fought.
Telly Awards: Bronze Winner
Spotlight Short Film Awards: Silver Award Winner
Tribute Film Festival: Best Heritage Short Documentary
Big River Film Festival: Best Short Documentary
Best Documentary Film: LA Independent Artist Film Festival
Virgin Spring Cinefest: Bronze Award
Southern Shorts Awards: Best Documentary
Virgin Spring Cinefest: Bronze Award
Social Impact Media Awards: Best Documentary