Resita Cox’s short Freedom Hill does not mince words. In just under 30 minutes, the director walks us through the sometimes uplifting, sometimes enraging ups and downs of life in Princeville, North Carolina, the “Oldest Town Chartered by Blacks in America.” With outspoken community activists and endearing locals as our guides, we get to know this small community and the long history of “topographical” and “environmental” racism that causes so much of its woes. Founded on the banks of the Tar River in 1885 by freed slaves, Princeville (originally called Freedom Hill) has endured a disproportionate amount of natural disasters due to its positioning in a floodplain — something Cox points out is a deliberate tactic of the “white governance regime” that historically controls Black communities. As we traverse the countryside, stories of frustration and perseverance in the face of systematic racism begin to emerge as a new generation takes up the mantle of preserving Princeville’s legacy, despite indifference and opposition from the white establishment. Freedom Hill is an eye-opening documentary and its subject matter deserves further study and action.
Freedom Hill was screened as part of our coverage of the 25th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.