In 1979, members of the largely black Communist Workers Party were gathered for a “Death to the Klan” rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, when a caravan of Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis arrived. As the police assigned to protect the rally inexplicably disappeared, the Klansmen opened fire, killing five demonstrators and injuring eleven others. A quarter of a century later, the survivors have formed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in an attempt to get to the heart of what really happened.

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth focuses on five of the survivors of the attack, examining the paths they have taken since 1979 as each struggles to stay true to their ideals. Two of the Klan figures—one a repentant former Grand Dragon, the other a staunchly unrepentant Imperial Wizard—weave their own interpretation on the events and their aftermath. They all converge at a meeting of the commission, the first time such an initiative has been formed in the United States. Against the backdrop of a city which would largely like to sweep the attack under the rug, the participants come together to explore possibilities of truth, understanding, and forgiveness.

An 83 minute version is also available.

"The film offers an extraordinary study of how intelligent people try to rise above mindless violence. Highly recommended."
‒Video Librarian

Boulder Film Festival, 2008
South by South West Festival, 2007
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2007
African Diaspora Film Festival, N.Y., 2007
Screening, Film Society of Lincoln Center, 2007