About

In this episode, I talk about RaMell Ross's 2018 documentary, "Hale County This Morning, This Evening." In 2009, RaMell Ross moved to Hale County in Alabama to teach photography and coach basketball. While living there, he started to film the people around him. He recorded over 1300 hours of footage. From that material, he culled and mined images that are startling, poetic, and beautiful--images that bear witness to the complexities and struggles of black life in the rural South. Through the documentary, we are introduced to two men: Quincy Bryant and Daniel Collins. As the film unfolds, we come to know their dreams, their hardships, and the world they live in--a world of basketball, catfish plants, friends, sunsets, storm clouds, rain, and all the details that make up their ordinary lives. This is a contemplative, lyrical, and unforgettable documentary. There are spoilers in this episode. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon.Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter.Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.Original logo by Dhiyanah HassanFull Show Notes:My episode on Barry Jenkins's MoonlightMy episode on Julie Dash's Daughters of the DustMy episode on Kathleen Collins's Losing GroundCane RiverEve's BayouPariahJust Another Girl on the I.R.T.My episode on Terrence Malick's The Tree of LifeWilliam ChristenberryChantal Akerman's SouthTwo Towns of JasperI Am One of You Forever by Fred ChappellAll My Sources:"Filming the Black Belt: An Interview with RaMell Ross" (Dissent Magazine)"Sundance Interview: RaMell Ross" (Film Comment)"The God of the Camera is a Coloniser: An Interview with RaMell Ross" (Senses of Cinema)"The Whole Ocean: RaMell Ross on Hale County This Morning, This Evening" (RogerEbert.com)"Visionary Documentary Director RaMell Ross on the Beauty of Hale County" (Dazed Digital)