"This unique framework succeeds in turning history on its head, forcing us to question how these violent tactics from the past have led to the increasingly armed present we're witnessing today." -Susannah Gruder, Indiewire
"RIOTSVILLE U.S.A. asks what we make of this footage today, 'embedded as we are in the future they were meant to ensure,' and traces a damning path to today’s militarization of the police and rhetoric that still echoes in the halls of power." -Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
In this mesmerizing essay film, Pettengill deftly assembles archival footage of a fictional town that was built by the U.S. military in the 1960s, when protest movements came into conflict with increasingly militarized police departments. Used for police and riot training, these model towns were a stark example of America’s past - and present - obsession with maintaining law and order, by any means necessary. Welcome to Riotsville.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - NEXT: WAVE Award, CPH:DOX
Winner - Best Documentary, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
Nominee - NEXT Innovator Award, Sundance Film Festival
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