Much of welcome to leith s onsite footage is beautifully shot, especially the outdoor sequences. His acclaimed second feature film, welcome to leith independent lens, 2016, debuted at the 2015 sundance film festival his 20 feature debut flex is kings was the opening night film in. For better and for worse, now may be the perfect time for a documentary like welcome to leith. At the center of the often terrifying documentary welcome to leith is a question that we as a society seem to. Welcome to leith 2015 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. After a white supremacist group threatened to take over a town of 20 people in central north dakota, it sparked protest from those living there, including the countys only african american, who.
The film reaches a fever pitch when cobb, imminently and obviously unreasonable. He aims to bring enough neonazis, skinheads and excons into residence to control the local government and create a haven for fellow believers. Aug 10, 2015 welcome to leith chronicles the attempted takeover of a small town in north dakota by notorious white supremacist craig cobb. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Michael beach nichols is an awardwinning filmmaker and the recipient of jerome foundation and rooftop filmmaker grants. This doesnt make it any less interesting, and the filmmakers are keen to not get in the way of the storytelling with flowery camerawork. As the new residents behavior becomes more threatening, tensions soar, and the residents. When craig cobb became the 25th resident of leith, it became a national story. You, our amazing kickstarter backers, allowed us to complete our. In welcome to leith, the deeply strange saga of a tiny town, a white supremacist and a crazy dream unfolds. Walkers unsettling and downright depressing welcome to leith.
With incredible access to both longtime residents of leith and white supremacists, the film examines a small community in the plains struggling for. Welcome to leith documentary about white supremacists in north. Welcome to leith is a feature film offering a glimpse into a town. Were sorry but jwapp doesnt work properly without javascript enabled.
In order to secure funding, codirectors posted a teaser of their first trip to leith online, which. Welcome to leith season 17 episode independent lens. The people that made welcome to leith did a nice job of presenting a reasonably well balanced and interesting story. Apr 03, 2016 in this excerpt from welcome to leith, kynan dutton, an iraq war veteran and selfproclaimed proud aryan skinhead who moved his family to leith, north dakota, plants white supremacy flags in.
Sep 07, 2015 official trailer for welcome to leith welcome to leith is a 2015 documentary film about white supremacist craig cobbs attempt to take over the north dakota town leith. Jul 27, 2017 michael beach nicholschristopher walker is raising funds for welcome to leith feature documentary on kickstarter. The film documents the peculiar events that occurred in 202014 when a nationallyknown white supremacist craig cobb moves to tiny leith, north dakota. Welcome to leith is a feature documentary chronicling the attempted. Welcome to leith trailer explores effects of white. The film premiered on january 26, 2015 at the 2015 sundance film festival and, after a limited theatrical release on september 9, was broadcast on pbs series independent lens on april 4, 2016. Leith is an impossibly tiny town just a handful of people, really in rural north dakota that found itself under an apparently entirely legal siege of sorts, based in municipal rules and regs, by infamous white supremacist craig cobb. Sep 10, 2015 this is the difficult question that the uncomfortable, essential documentary welcome to leith asks. A well done documentary with the drama of a movie welcome to leith leaves the thinking viewer with a very unsettled feeling and more questions than answers. Sep 08, 2015 ultimately, welcome to leith, sort of fades out rather than punctuates any powerful conclusion in the last 40 minutes the most climactic of action takes place about halfway through the film. Filmed in the days leading up to cobbs arrest for terrorizing the townspeople on an armed patrol and his subsequent release from jail six months later, the film is an eerie document of.
White supremacy flags welcome to leith video independent lens. Welcome to leith official trailer 2015 craig cobb youtube. Leith was merged with edinburgh in 1920 despite a plebiscite in which the people of leith voted 26,810 to 4,340 against the merger. Welcome to leith 2015 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Welcome to leith trailer video independent lens pbs.
Welcome to leith gets up close and impersonal on a. Edinburghs longrunning heritage body has given a cautious welcome to plans to create an 11storey new home for the filmhouse and the edinburgh international film. Full movie welcome to leith 2016 chronicles the attempted takeover of a small north dakota town by notorious white supremacist craig cobb. The folk of leith prove beautifully that they are the true inhabitants of the land as opposed to fascist invaders. Nichols is a huge horror fan one of his favorite films is the shining. Walkers welcome to leith finds an incredibly tense situation playing out in a small ghost town, and both directors somehow manage to capture the whole thing while having complete access to all involved parties. Welcome to leith doesnt really delve too deep into some of the topics it brings up, but its transformation of leith s storyline into a tense, efficient narrative provides plenty of engrossing. Cobb is known for his attempt to take over the city of leith, north dakota, with other white supremacists.
Welcome to leith what happened when neonazis came to town 4 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars. Welcome to leith itvs documentary film funding itvs. Rent welcome to leith 2015 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Sep 09, 2015 there are a few moments in welcome to leith, a documentary about a north dakota town that resists being taken over by white supremacists, when the film might be mistaken for a horror movie. Much of welcome to leiths onsite footage is beautifully shot, especially the outdoor sequences. Heritage watchdog gives cautious welcome to edinburghs. Not surprisingly, the diabolical plan meets local resistance as the townspeople rally to stop.
Cobb, who moved to leith in 2012, attracted other white supremacists to the town and displayed white nationalist paraphernalia on his properties. The film will be screened in toronto at the canadian international documentary festival on april 25, 26 and 30. Welcome to leith opens at the height of tension in the small north dakota town, where cobb and his guntoting foot soldierintraining kynan dutton once roamed the streets to stake their claim in. The town of leith is extremely tiny and located in the dakotas. In september 2012, the tiny prairie town of leith, north dakota, sees its population of 24 grow by one. Welcome to leith chronicles the attempted takeover of a small town in north dakota by notorious white supremacist craig cobb. Welcome to leith dvd,welcome to leith chronicles the attempted takeover of a small town in north dakota by notorious white supremacist craig cobb. Trailer welcome to leith usa documentary 85 min feature. Does one mans vision of a whites only city being executed with weapons deserve the protection of democracy. Continued growth meant that leith and edinburgh formed a contiguous urban area. Welcome to leith feature documentary by michael beach. Were always glad when we can let you know of important films we see going for a kickstarter campaign, welcome to leith is one of these films.
In a mostly objective storyline the trials of a small north dakota town confronted with forces far beyond its ability to control, contain. It wont be surprising if this winds up being one of the years most thrilling films. In 2010, a national media frenzy exploded after a quiet, longhaired stranger began buying up property in the tiny north dakota hamlet of leith population 23. They carefully avoid making welcome to leith about what cobb believes in, focusing on how those beliefs impact a community more than the hatred and vitriol within them.
As his behavior becomes more threatening, tensions soar, and the. He hoped to infuse welcome to leith with elements of this genre. With incredible access to both longtime residents of leith and white supremacists, the film. Welcome to leith is a 2015 american documentary film directed by michael beach nichols and christopher k. Welcome to leith chronicles the struggles of a tiny north dakota town against. Walker about white supremacist craig cobbs attempt to take over the north dakota city leith. While they obviously didnt like the white supremacists featured in the film, they also were sure to present the complete story. Independent lens s17 ep15 welcome to leith part 01 hd stream watch independent lens s17 ep15 welcome to leith part 01 online watch independent lens s17 ep15 welcome to leith part 01 online stream. Nichols and walker remain scrupulously neutral, so much so that its. Walker is an awardwinning filmmaker whose directorial debut welcome to leith premiered at the 2015 sundance film festival, going on to screen at sxsw, hot docs, afi docs, and many. Filmed in the days leading up to cobbs arrest for terrorizing the townspeople on an armed patrol and his subsequent release from jail six months later, the film is an eerie document of american diy ideals. In welcome to leith, the deeply strange saga of a tiny town, a white. Leith was the scene of the dockers strike in 19 recounted in the book red scotland. The film chronicles the attempted takeover of a small north dakota town by notorious white supremacist craig cobb.
Welcome to leith 2015 letterboxd your life in film. There are a few moments in welcome to leith, a documentary about a north dakota town that resists being taken over by white supremacists, when the film might be mistaken for a horror movie. Welcome to leith discussion guide influence film club. Jun 07, 2015 the shifting loyalties of the viewer, though, are part of what make welcome to leith even more impressive. Chances are that if youve heard anything over the past few years about leith, north dakota, it was related to infamous white supremacist craig cobbs attempted takeover of the microsized city. Welcome to leith 2015 directed by michael beach nichols, christopher k. Welcome to leith is a feature documentary chronicling the attempted takeover of a small town in north dakota by white separatists. With incredible access to both longtime residents of leith and white supremacists, the film examines a small community in the plains struggling for sovereignty against an extremist vision. As his behavior becomes more threatening, tensions soar, and the residents desperately look for ways to expel their unwanted neighbor.
As news of racial tension continues to cascade across the country not the smallest part of which is an aggressive reaction from white supremacist groups a documentation of one microscale incident has the ability to shed further light on issues that simply refuse to subside. A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in north dakota. His acclaimed second feature film, welcome to leith independent lens, 2016, debuted at the 2015 sundance film festival his 20 feature debut flex is kings was the opening night film in the viewpoints section at the tribeca film show more festival. Welcome to leith is a feature documentary chronicling the attempted takeover of a small town in north dakota by notorious white supremacist craig cobb. Welcome to leith tells the story of a wily white supremacist named craig cobb who attempts to take over the tiny north dakota town of leith population 16. America is a country that prides itself on freedom, but what can be done when.
These were the questions faced by the two dozen literally, population 24 residents of leith, north dakota, and deftly chronicled in michael beach nichols and christopher k. Welcome to leith is a coproduction of no weather films, the cinemart and sundial pictures, produced in association with the independent television service itvs, with funding provided by the. A feature documentary chronicling the attempted takeover of a small town in north dakota by notorious white supremacist craig cobb. Sep 06, 2015 white supremacists kynan dutton left and craig cobb, in welcome to leith. To that end, they surprisingly avoid much conversation with the only minority in leith, who happens to be the man who sold cobb the property in the first place. Welcome to leith invites questions about our amendment. In 2012, with the population down to 24, the town was eager to welcome newcomers like lee cook, who had moved to leith after his teenage daughter was murdered.