LightReel Legacy
Riverbend
United States • 1989 • 101 min • English
Set in 1966, Riverbend follows Major Samuel Quinton (Steve James) and two fellow Black soldiers as they escape a military court-martial after refusing an unlawful order during the Vietnam War. On the run through the segregated South, they find refuge in the small town of Riverbend, Georgia.
Taken in by a widowed teacher, Bell Coleman (Margaret Avery), the men quickly discover a community living under the grip of fear, violence, and systemic oppression. As tensions rise, Quinton and his companions must decide whether to keep moving—or take a stand alongside the town’s residents against the forces that control it.
Available in person only.
June 5, 5:30 PM EST
Premiere
Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market
Washington, DC
Credits
Director(s)
Sam Firstenberg
Screenwriter
Samuel Vance
Producers
Regina Dale
Troy Dale
Norman Stevens
Samuel Vance
Director of Photography
Ken Lamkin
Editor
Marcus Manton
Composer
Paul Loomis
Cast
Steve James
Margaret Avery
Meet the Artist
Sam Firstenberg
Since 1980 Sam Firstenberg has been in the independent filmmaking field. Directing 22 theatrical feature films since completing his graduate studies in film at Loyola Marymount University. One More Chance (1981), starring Kirstie Alley, won prizes in major film festivals and sparked the beginning of his career as a director. Subsequent films have become commercial hits and cult classics, especially the "American Ninja" series starring Michael Dudikoff and the break-dance phenomenon Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984).
Born in Poland, he grew up in Jerusalem, Israel. In 1972 he moved to the US where "Shmulik" became "Sam", and he completed his graduate studies in film at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, where he resides with his wife and three daughters.