‘Quakertown USA’ premieres at Denton Black Film Festival, highlights displaced Black neighborhood

Quakertown USA had its world premiere inside a campus theater during the Denton Black Film Festival, organizers and participants said, drawing descendants, filmmakers and attendees to a screening of the documentary about a Black neighborhood that was removed to build a city park.

The film tells the story of Quakertown, described by speakers at the premiere as "a once thriving, self sufficient African American community" that existed from the late 19th century into the early 20th century before residents were forced to relocate to make way for park construction. The festival said fundraising and support from the city of Denton helped make the production possible.

Filmmakers and collaborators framed Quakertown USA as a collaborative research project. A project participant said the team "brought together a number of researchers, historians, [and] descendants to really understand a lot more about Quakertown," and expressed excitement about completing and screening the film.

A filmmaker involved in the production said the project aimed to preserve the community's story. "Anytime that as a filmmaker, you have the opportunity to tell the story of people who were resilient ... and to be able to capture that story and present that story and make sure that it's available in perpetuity for the world to see, I consider that an honor," the filmmaker said.

Descendants and attendees said the film offered a chance to learn from the past. A self-identified descendant said she was "happy to be here to help represent, my family and the other families of Quaker," and that she was "proud of what Quaker was before it was removed." A festival attendee said they came "to enjoy and learn from the Denton Black Film Festival" and hoped the film could help "bring solutions in the future so it doesn't reoccur."

Organizers noted this project was the Denton Black Film Festival's first role as executive producer. The reporter said the festival's executive-producer credit was made possible through fundraising efforts and support from the city of Denton; a project participant thanked the city for wanting "to embrace the truth of what happened." The filmmakers said they are pursuing additional screenings, festival entries and distribution to reach a wider audience.

In Denton, Kimberly Barotaran.