“Accidental Courtesy:
Daryl Davis, Race & America”

Synopsis
Daryl Davis is an accomplished musician, a piano player who has played all over the world with legends like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. He also has an unusual and controversial hobby: Daryl likes to meet and befriend members of the KKK, many of whom have never met a black person. When some of these same people decide to leave the Klan, Daryl keeps their robes and hoods — building his collection piece by piece, story by story, person by person. 


Cast
Daryl Davis
Virginia Ali
Mark Potok
Rachel Pendergraft
Pastor Thomas Robb
Jeff Schoep
Frank Ancona
Faith Morris
Michael A. Wood, Jr.
Kwame Rose
Tariq Toure
JC Faulk
Scott Shepherd
..


Crew
Director - Matt Ornstein
Producer - Matthew Ornstein, Noah Ornstein
Executive Producer - Laurie Haris, Roberto Alcantara
Associate Producer - Michael Reich, Daryl Davis, Allen Hopkins
Co-Producer - Ben Barnes, Jason Jones
Cinematography - Sam Gezari, Peter Castagnetti
Editors - Jason Jones, Ben Barnes
Original Music - Menahan Street Band
…


Promotional Stills

Awards
- Special Jury Award: Documentary Feature (Winner) - SXSW Film Festival 2016
- Grand Jury Award: Documentary Feature (Nominee) - SXSW Film Festival 2016
- Grand Jury Prize: Best Documentary Feature (Nominee) - Nashville Film Festival 2016
- David Ponce Best of the Festival (Winner) - Chagrin Documentary Film Festival 2016
- Jury’s Recognition for a Film that Provokes Continued Conversation (Winner) - Athens International Film Festival 2016
- Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Award (Nominee) - Cleveland International Film Festival 2016
- Audience Award: Best Documentary Feature (Winner) - Calgary Underground Film Festival 2016
- Special Jury Award: Compelling, Provocative & Timely Content in a Documentary Feature (Winner) - Napa Valley Film Festival 2016


Festivals
3/13/16 - South by Southwest Film Festival
3/31/16 - Cleveland International Film Festival
4/02/16 - Atlanta Film Festival
4/18/16 - Nashville Film Festival
5/01/16 - Montclair Film Festival
9/22/16 - Bergen International Film Festival
9/23/16 - Aspen Film Festival
9/29/16 - Athens International Film Festival
10/5/16 - Chagrin Documentary Film Festival
1/06/17 - Theatrical Run - Cinema Village (NYC)
2/23/17 - US Digital Release
…


Articles
- Los Angeles Times, “A black man’s quixotic quest to quell the racism of the KKK, one robe at a time”
- Indiewire, ‘Accidental Courtesy’ Exclusive Clip: Documentary Follows Musician’s Relationship With KKK Members
- The Wrap, “Exclusive Video: Black Activist Befriends KKK Members in Oddly Touching Trailer for ‘Accidental Courtesy’”
- The Washington Times, “‘Accidental Courtesy’ PBS documentary shows black musician sitting down with white supremacists”
- Commercial Appeal, “‘Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America’ screening at On Location: Memphis”
- Think Christian, “Accidental Courtesy and the Difficult Call to Love One’s Enemies”
- Truthdig, “In ‘Accidental Courtesy,’ a Black Musician Strikes Up Conversations to Confront White Supremacy”


Reviews
- Variety, “Film Review: ‘Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America’”
- The Hollywood Reporter, “‘Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America’: SXSW Review”
- The New York Times, Review: ‘Accidental Courtesy’ Is Gentle Persuasion for Bigots
- Los Angeles Times, “Musician seeks out bigots in documentary ‘Accidental Courtesy’”
- Slant Magazine, “Review: Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America”
- Film Inquiry, “Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America: A Timely Examination Of US Race Relations”
- Spirituality & Health, “Film Review: Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America”


Interviews
- The Aspen Times, “Confronting the Klan: A Q&A with ‘Accidental Courtesy’ director Matthew Ornstein”
- Sup Doc Podcast, “Ep 54 ACCIDENTAL COURTESY with director Matt Ornstein”
- Borrowing Tape, “Accidental Courtesy – Interview with Film Director Matthew Ornstein”
- WREG News 3 (Memphis), Accidental Courtesy TV Interview w/ Daryl Davis & Scott Shepherd


Links
- IMDB
- Rotten Tomatoes
- PBS/Independent Lens
- Kanopy
- Netflix
- First Run Features
- Facebook


Documentary feature, 96 minutes, English, United States, 2016