Oklahoma City — Trailer

source:   sundance.org, youtube.com

added: Thu, Jan 5th '17

"Oklahoma City" is a compelling new documentary about the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and its connection to the Waco siege, which took place exactly two years prior.

On April 19, 1995, one-third of a federal building in downtown Oklahoma City was completely obliterated by a parked rental truck loaded with explosives. The attack, which killed 168 people and injured over 600 ("the worst act of domestic terrorism in American history"), was carried out by two anti-government extremists named Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who would later be identified as having ties to the '90s white-supremacist movement.

The reason behind the bombing? It was a reaction against the government's deadly raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Which was an ATF and FBI-led standoff that lasted 51 days and ended in a massive gunfight and compound fire that ultimately killed 76 people, including Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh (11 surviving members were eventually arrested). The day the siege was over: April 19, 1993.

The Waco siege (and a similar incident in Idaho known as 'Ruby Ridge') ignited a strong anti-government sentiment in middle America, launching an all-white militia movement. The film takes a hard look at these divisive events and issues and how they played a role in the Oklahoma City attack.

Directed by Oscar-nominated documentarian Barak Goodman (Scottsboro: An American Tragedy), "Oklahoma City" will be making its world premiere later this month at the Sundance Film Festival. It's also set to air on PBS, as part of the 'American Experience' documentary series, on Tuesday, February 7. In the meantime, watch the trailer, above.

synopsis:
Oklahoma City explores the intertwined narratives of the worst domestic terrorist attack in the U.S. and the anti-government movement that inspired the actions of Timothy McVeigh, including two standoffs with law enforcement with tragic outcomes -- Ruby Ridge and the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.

 

directed by   Barak Goodman

release date   January 21, 2017 (Sundance premiere), February 7, 2017 (airing on PBS)