Documentarian sets lens on Selma

Published 5:09 pm Friday, September 13, 2019

Elected officials, first responders and other community leaders all turned out to Hope Academy Wednesday afternoon for a luncheon honoring first responders hosted by Drug Free Communities of Dallas County (DFC).

Among those who turned out to Wednesday’s luncheon was Emmy-winning documentarian Lyric Cabral.

Cabral won a 2017 Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Documentary as a co-director/producer for the film “(T)ERROR”, which is now streaming on Netflix.

Email newsletter signup

According to a summary of the film found on IMDb, (T)ERROR is the first documentary to place filmmakers on the ground during an active FBI counterterrorism sting operation. Through the perspective of “Shariff”, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned informant, viewers get an unfettered glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics and the murky justifications behind them.

Cabral had the opportunity to visit DFC’s luncheon Wednesday morning because she’s in Selma conducting research for her next project.

“I’m in the development and research phase for a documentary about Selma,” said Cabral.

This marks Cabral’s first visit to Selma.

After a couple of colleagues visited the Queen City during Jubilee, Cabral decided to visit and see what stories were here to be told.

Cabral says that the film, at its roots, will tell a story of “peace and healing”.

Cabral wants to explore the social issues of the Civil Rights movement in Selma, and how many of them are still relevant today.

Cabral stressed how early the film still is in its developmental stage, saying, “We literally just started.”

If all goes as planned, Cabral says the film will be completed early 2021.