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BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY - Twin Cities Black Film Festival | FOUNDERS AWARD - International Black Film Festival
Black History • American Slave History • Race Relations • Racial Healing • Racism • Societal Transformation • White Supremacy • Restorative Genealogy • Truth & Reconciliation
Date of Completion: 2025 | Run Time: 58 minutes | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript & Viewer's Guide | Director & Producer: Louise Woehrle | Editor: Donna Marino | Motion Graphics/Online: Channel Z Post Production | VFX/Graphic Design: Splice | Cinematography: Scott Gardner | Music Editor: Tom Hambleton | Composers: Luke Enyeart, Tom Hambleton, JJ Kikrpatrick & Kevin Kuh
A BINDING TRUTH transcends the boundaries of time to explore the deep connection between two former high school classmates, who shared the same last name but had little else in common. Jimmie transferred his senior year from a Black high school in 1965 to an affluent white school in Charlotte. He became their first Black football star and the reluctant subject of an explosive civil rights case. Fellow student De wrote about the case in his college essay application. He said it got him into Harvard. Their paths diverged for almost five decades until a shocking discovery buried in church records reveals their shared ties to slavery. Their story, rooted in the South, is also America's story, one of slavery's legacy and our current racial divide. It's a story of healing and shows a way forward as Jimmie and De explore their binding truth.
100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Charlotte Observer
"The tale ultimately is an examination of America’s struggles to reconcile a history shaped by racism and how people can move forward despite of it."
Cinemacy | Morgan Rojas
"Two former high school classmates, one black and one white, explore a complicated familial history in director Louise Woehrle’s incredible documentary, "A Binding Truth." What initially started out as a sports biopic about the regional football superstar Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick gracefully morphs into something far more affecting."
“A Binding Truth turns a sports story into a larger civil rights story, ultimately crafting a universal story of America.”
Film Threat | Michael Talbot-Haynes
"Filmmaker Louise Woehrle rides a whirlwind of subject matter with impressive mastery."
“Expect both jocks and hippies to be thrilled, as there is plenty for every taste here. A Binding Truth shows the pulsating connections that run throughout humanity and hopes we all work it out for real.”
GhMovieFreak | Tony Asankomah
“A Binding Truth” is a profoundly moving documentary that skillfully navigates the emotional terrain of two very different people, two races, and their legacies.”
AWARDS
Best Feature Documentary | Twin Cities Black Film Festival
Founders Award | International Black Film Festival
Best Documentary | Twin Cities Film Festival
Finalist, Best Feature Documentary | Richard Harris International Film Festival (Ireland)
FESTIVALS
Heartland International Film Festival
Cleveland International Film Festival
Woods Hole Film Festival
Port Townsend Film Festival
Portland Jazz Festival
Lake Placid Film Festival
SCREENINGS
Coming To The Table National Conference