Natchez
A Mississippi town reckons with the romanticized version of the "Old South" it presents for tourists, as white and African American tour guides diverge in their approach to unpacking American history.
Natchez, Mississippi: a town of 15,000 that, for generations, has drawn tourists to its immaculately restored antebellum mansions, some hosted by hoop-skirted white matriarchs, for an experience dubbed "Pilgrimage." As interest declines in and questions arise about showcasing these regal estates with tall tales of the "Old South," Natchez faces a reckoning—with a romanticized, sanitized historical narrative and the debt it owes to the descendants of slaves.
Directed by Suzannah Herbert—a Memphis-born documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on the American South—Natchez follows owners of historic plantations, local activists and politicians and both white and African American tour guides as they tell their ever-more conflicting versions of the town's past, and of American history.
This timely, thought-provoking film took home the Best Documentary Award at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, and speaks to the challenges and possibilities as people with different racial identities unpack American history together—a theme the Hop will explore more deeply with the TEAM's devised musical theater piece Reconstructing (Apr 2-3).
D: Suzannah Herbert, US, 2025, 1h26m
Programmed in collaboration with the White River Indie Festival.
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