Raising Bertie
A critically acclaimed documentary directed by Margaret Byrne, following three African American boys coming of age in Bertie County, NC.
Filmed over the course of six years, Raising Bertie charts three young men's transition into adulthood in a rural community surrounded by for-profit prisons. The film premiered at the Full Frame documentary film festival in 2016 to strong critical response.
Raising Bertie was executive produced by Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan, and North Carolina rapper J. Cole.
The film was acquired by PBS and premiered nationally on POV.
Supported By
- MacArthur Foundation
- Ford Foundation
- Southern Documentary Fund
Awards
- Best Director, Atlanta Underground Film Festival
- Best Documentary Feature, Atlanta Docufest
- Special Jury Award for Documentary Feature, Atlanta Film Festival
Labs & Pitch Forums
- Good Pitch Chicago
- IFP Documentary Labs
- AFI Docs Impact Lab
Press
“Politically timely and artistically consummate…this focused and nuanced look at a resilient but deeply strained African American township carries urgent implications for all of us.”
Nick Davis, Film Comment
“Astounding and powerful.”
Bryn Gelbart, Indiewire
“I never would have heard of Bertie, North Carolina if it weren’t for this movie, and using art to learn about every corner of our country seems more essential than ever.”
Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
“[A] profound cinéma vérité film.”
Tambay Olson, Shadow and Act
“The boyhood of this year’s AFI DOCS, but with more of an urgent social subtext.”
Dean Essner, Washington City Paper
“[A] powerful and empathic film on the importance of family, education and self-determination that is epic in scope, powerfully intimate in the way that it details the lives and struggles of its subjects and as dramatically engrossing as any conventional feature film.”
Peter Sobczynski, EFILMCRITIC
“Through careful, long-form visual storytelling Raising Bertie artfully explores larger problems plaguing the South… Every state legislator, every high school student and dammit, every citizen who cares about the state needs to watch Raising Bertie.”
Sandra Davidson, Bit & Grain