The Pariah and Bessie director’s Mudbound shines a light on a chapter of rarely-seen American history.

Mudbound is the story of two families, one black, one white, divided by racial tensions as they cohabit farmland of the Mississippi Delta. The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie McAllan and Ronsel Jackson, forge a fast but uneasy friendship that challenges the brutal realities of the Jim Crow South in which they live.

Adapted from Hillary Jordan’s international bestselling novel by Virgil Williams and Rees herself, the film also boasts a female-heavy crew including cinematographer Rachel Morrison, editor Mako Kamitsuna, composer Tamar-kali, Oscar® nominee sound engineer Pud Cusack and makeup department head Angie Wells, all collaborating on a chapter of American history rarely brought to the screen, and more timely now than ever.

With a cast that includes Carey Mulligan and Mary J. Blige, this film is guaranteed to be poignant, immersive, and genuine.

Directed by out lesbian screenwriter and director Dee Rees, who previously brought us the powerful films Pariah (2011, about the emergence of a black lesbian Brooklyn teen) and Bessie (2015, about legendary bisexual blues singer Bessie Smith), Mudbound has already gained critical and audience acclaim at international film festivals.