Acclaimed Documentary Gumbo Coalition on Civil Rights Leaders Marc H. Morial & Janet Murguia on Max, Headlines National Film Festivals

Available to a nationwide audience for the first time on Monday, November 6 via the streaming platform  Max, (formerly HBO Max) the documentary Gumbo Coalition explores the troubling resurgence of white supremacy, the anguish of a family separated by cruel Trump-era immigration policies, and the complex journey from incarceration to post-prison success – all against the backdrop of a devastating global pandemic. 

Directed by two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple, the acclaimed film chronicles the work of National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial and Unidos US President and CEO Janet Murguía throughout the Trump presidency, the racist mass shooting in El Paso, the COVID pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and the uprising that followed, the 2020 elections, and the storming of the Capitol. 

Concurrent with its Max première, Gumbo Coalition is a top contender at the New Orleans Film Festival, screening Sunday, November 5, and St. Louis International Film Festival, screening Friday, November 10.

The St. Louis screening gives a local audience an in-depth look at Save Our Sons, a signature program of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis that provides economically disadvantaged men with job training, counseling, and other support services.  Kopple, producer Ray Nowosielski, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis President and CEO Michael McMillan, Save Our Sons director Jamie Dennis, and featured participant Bradley Cobb will attend the screening. 

The film takes its name from Morial’s leadership philosophy and illustrates the power of a coalition that combines a variety of unique ingredients – skills, perspectives, and flavors – to produce the “magic” of the signature dish of New Orleans, where Morial served as the transformational Mayor from 1994 to 2002. 

WHO:                              Marc H. Morial, National Urban League President and CEO
                                        Janet Murguía, Unidos US President and CEO
                                        Barbara Kopple, two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker

WHAT:                              Gumbo Coalition documentary film 

WHERE & WHEN:           Prytania Theatre Uptown, 5339 Prytania St, New Orleans
                                         Sunday, November 5, 5pm Central
                                         Max online streaming platform
                                         Monday, November 6, 3am Eastern
                                         Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Theater 9, 3765 Foundry Way, Suite 275, St. Louis                                          Friday, November 10, 7pm Central          

TRAILER:                          Gumbo Coalition