Broadcast Slated for Spring 2025
WASHINGTON D.C. — How to Sue the Klan from Emmy®-nominated director John Beder and producers civil rights attorney Benjamin L. Crump, Cameron S. Mitchell, and Raji Ramanathan, has been acquired by REEL SOUTH, a PBS documentary series for US broadcast. The short documentary was awarded the inaugural DX Reel South Investigative Short Film prize at this weekend’s Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival in Washington, D.C., earning a distribution deal on PBS’s Reel South documentary series. Planned for broadcast in Spring 2025, the film will also be available for streaming on PBS for a limited time.
Reel South is a PBS documentary series dedicated to sharing authentic, transformative stories that reveal the layered experiences of Southern life. Exploring themes like social justice, culture, and environmental challenges, Reel South amplifies the South’s storytelling tradition as a force for understanding and change across the region and beyond.
How to Sue the Klan recounts the courageous actions of The Chattanooga Five–– five Black women who stood up and fought for equal rights, women’s freedom, and humanity by filing a landmark 1982 civil case, which defeated the Ku Klux Klan and set a precedent that now serves as the blueprint for every hate crime litigation in America.
“I speak for my fellow producers when I say we are grateful to have been recognized by the Double Exposure Film Festival and honored to have won the PBS Reel South Short Film Award.” said Crump. “To have our film be distributed on a platform that stands for excellence is exactly what these courageous 5 Black women, the Chattanooga Five deserve, to tell their story to the masses. It’s why we made this film.”
“John’s film is an exemplar for the filmmaking community in the South and across the nation. His film is as timely as it is valiant and proves that connection to the community is critical in our industry. We look forward to bringing this film to PBS next year.” said Nick Price of PBS’s Reel South series.
The film examines this landmark case’s impact, the Chattanooga Five’s enduring legacy, and how the KKK Act remains a potent tool for advocates today. When criminal charges against the perpetrators led to minimal sentencing, civil rights lawyers utilized the KKK Act to win a civil court judgment that hit the Klan financially and permanently banned them from Chattanooga.
Directed by Emmy®-nominated Chattanooga resident John Beder with producers Benjamin Crump, Cameron S. Mitchell, and Raji Ramanathan, How to Sue the Klan calls on civil rights advocates to wield the KKK Act to continue the fight for justice. This multi-award-winning documentary remains on its festival tour with 40 official selections at film festivals around the country including 11 Oscar-qualifying programs. The film is currently qualified for the 2025 Academy Awards and is available on the Academy Screening Room. Educational licensing is available through Good Docs.
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