The Panola Project Screens at Sundance Film Festival

The Panola Project, a short documentary film created by Rachael DeCruz, Associate Director of Advocacy, and her partner, Jeremy S. Levine, is screening at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and will be available for virtual viewing until January 30.

The Panola Project illuminates how an often-overlooked rural Black community came together in creative ways to survive – highlighting the heroic efforts of Dorothy Oliver to keep her small town of Panola, Alabama, safe from COVID-19. Dorothy runs a makeshift vaccine coordination center from the convenience store she runs out of a mobile home. Today, nearly 99% of adults in her town have received the shot in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

 “The film showcases the incredible strength of Black women, who frequently serve as the backbone holding their communities together,” Rachael and Jeremy wrote in their Directors’ Statement, “We hope you enjoy watching the film as much as we enjoyed making it. We’re deeply indebted to Dorothy, Ms. Jackson, and all of the amazing people who live and work in Panola who continue to give us hope in these trying times.”

The Panola Project has won numerous awards and accolades, in addition to being an official selection at Sundance, including Audience Awards at the GlobeDocs Film Festival and the Sidewalk Film Festival, where Dorothy Oliver was honored with the Spirit of Sidewalk Award. The film was released with The New Yorker and has been featured on MSNBC, BNC, and NBCLX.

Learn More                      Watch ‘Meet the Artist’ Q&A

If you want to help celebrate Dorothy, and inspire others to take action, join Rachael and Jeremy in calling on the Biden-Harris Administration to recognize Dorothy’s inspiring work: https://bit.ly/DorothyMedal