Memphis civil rights history is opening this year’s Indie Memphis Film Festival. “The Lorraine,” a new documentary from director Sam Pollard, has been selected as the festival’s opening night film for 2026.
Pollard has spent decades building a body of work around pivotal moments in American civil rights history, with credits that include “MLK/FBI” and “Slavery by Another Name.” This latest film turns that same lens on the Lorraine Motel, the Memphis site forever tied to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and now home to the National Civil Rights Museum.
Indie Memphis has grown into one of the most respected film festivals in the South, drawing filmmakers and audiences from across the country each fall. Opening the festival with a film rooted so deeply in Memphis history signals just how personal this year’s lineup is shaping up to be.
The full 2026 slate gets revealed at a preview event on September 30 at the Metal Museum in Overton Park, where organizers typically share trailers, guest appearances, and ticket details ahead of the festival’s opening weekend.
