2026 Freedom Film Series in Athens
- Classic City News
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
All Screenings Free and Open to the Public
Athens, GA — The Athens Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) proudly announces the Freedom Film Series, a month-long film series taking place throughout February 2026. In recognition of Black history, culture, and the ongoing struggle for justice and equity, the series will feature four powerful films that explore African American life, history, and community.
All screenings are free and open to the public. Community members of all ages are welcome.
Freedom Film Series Schedule
Sunday, February 1, 2026 – Origin
3:00 PM
Ebenezer Baptist Church West
Origin (2023) is a biographical drama written and directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson. The film follows Wilkerson’s journey as she researches and writes Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, traveling through Germany, India, and the United States to examine how caste systems have shaped societies across the world.
Sunday, February 8, 2026 – Ethnic Notions
3:00 PM
Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church
140 Rose Street, Athens, GA
Directed by Marlon Riggs, Ethnic Notions (1987) is a groundbreaking documentary that examines the racist stereotypes of African Americans that permeated popular culture from the antebellum era through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Sunday, February 15, 2026 – Just Mercy
3:00 PM
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens
Just Mercy (2019), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Michael B. Jordan, tells the true story of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson and his work defending people on death row. The film focuses on the wrongful conviction of Walter McMillian and is based on Stevenson’s bestselling memoir.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 – The Soul of Athens: A History of the Morton Theatre
3:00 PM
First A.M.E. Church
Produced by Plumgood Productions, this 2013 documentary explores the rich history and cultural significance of the historic Morton Theatre—an African American–owned vaudeville house built in 1910 by Monroe “Pink” Morton—and its lasting impact on the Athens community.