Films

Before the Lorraine Motel became the site of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, assassination, it was a haven of Black entrepreneurship and musical talent. The history of this black-owned establishment, central to the organization of the Civil Rights Movement, has been simplified and forgotten.

Emmy Award-winning documentarian and receipent of the 2022 VAFF Chronicler Award, Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI) revives this history, weaving archival footage and music, to bridge this broken history into a dynamic tale of the rise and fall of the Lorraine Motel. The Lorraine brings light to the joy of black musical creation and culture that sprouted from a motel in Memphis, Tennessee and transformed into a nationwide fight for justice for all.