Documentary about Detroit's bankruptcy saga wins $200,000 film prize
A documentary chronicling how Detroit clawed its way out of the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history on Tuesday won the 2021 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.
In "Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Bankruptcy of Detroit" filmmakers Sam Katz and James McGovern tell the tale of Detroit's Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing in 2013 and an American city as it descended into financial crisis.
"I think that the story is a canary in the coal mine for the rest of the country," said Katz, producer and co-director of the film.
The filmmakers said one challenge they faced was taking a complex topic and telling a clear, gripping story.
Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/10/27/gradually-then-suddenly-bankruptcy-detroit-ken-burns/8555772002/