Descendant

The past is always present.

Directed by Margaret Brown

Produced by Participant, Concordia Studio

A deeply moving documentary about reclaiming suppressed history through the discovery of a slave ship's remains, centering community testimony and ancestral connection.

History exists beyond what is written. The Africatown residents in Mobile, Alabama, have shared stories about their origins for generations. Their community was founded by enslaved ancestors who were transported in 1860 aboard the last known and illegal slave ship, Clotilda. Though the ship was intentionally destroyed upon arrival, its memory and legacy weren’t. Now, the long-awaited discovery of the Clotilda’s remains offers this community a tangible link to their ancestors and validation of a history so many tried to bury.