DATE: 12/1/26
TIME: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
LOCATION: Emory University, Rita Anne Rollins Building, Room 102
PRICE: Free
In partnership with the Center for Ethics in the Arts at Emory University, the Atlanta Film Society presents a free screening of HOW TO SUE THE KLAN and a Q&A with Producer Tiffany Herron. This screening is a part of Emory University's ongoing Ethics At The Movies series. This event is free and open to the public; Ticket reservation is required.
FILM Synopsis
On April 19, 1980, four Black women stood waiting for a cab on Chattanooga’s 9th St. when a car passed, driven by a local Ku Klux Klan leader. His passengers, also Klansmen, worked together to fire shotgun blasts from the open window. The gunfire wounded the four friends, and a fifth woman was struck by flying glass as the Klansman continued up the road, firing more shots. In criminal court, an all-white jury acquitted two of the Klansmen and sentenced the third to just nine months. He served only six. Civil unrest followed the verdict, sparking national attention and that of the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City. The organization had been waiting for the right opportunity to use a new legal strategy against hate groups in civil court.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
John Beder (he/him) is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker whose films have been published by The New York Times, PBS, and Al Jazeera and have screened at over a dozen Oscar qualifying film festivals. His documentaries explore resistance, social justice, medicine, and substance use, illuminating overlooked voices with care and urgency. His latest film, How to Sue the Klan, a collaboration with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, won an NAACP Image Award and follows five Black women who brought down a local Klan chapter through a landmark civil suit. He previously directed Dying in Your Mother’s Arms, an Emmy nominated co-production with The New York Times about pediatric palliative care. John is co-founder of Bedrock Productions and a member of the Asian American Documentary Network, the Documentary Producers Alliance, and The Video Consortium.
ETHICS AT THE MOVIES
Ethics at the Movies is a documentary screening series presented by the Center for Ethics at Emory University, featuring in-person post-film conversations with members of creative teams. Ethics at the Movies has screened over 40 films and hosted such distinguished guest artists as Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand; photographer and filmmaker Ansley West; Regina Kelly, the inspiration behind the film American Violet; and Foreign Press Association Journalist of the Year Award and Peabody Award winner Saeed Kamali Dehghan, among others.
Parking
The most convenient parking is located in the Peavine Visitors Lot, 29 Eagle Row, Atlanta, 30322.
For more parking information, please visit the Emory University Transportation and Parking site.