Spanish Lake(Movie, 2014)

Spanish Lake is a 2014 American documentary film directed by Phillip Andrew Morton and co-produced by Phillip Andrew Morton and Matt Jordan Smith. The film premiered theatrically in St. Louis, Missouri on June 13, 2014. The documentary chronicles the area of Spanish Lake, Missouri and its transformation from a 1950s white suburb to a mostly black population through a process known as white flight. The themes of the film parallel America's growing political divide, underlying racism, and rise of anti-government sentiment. After strong ticket sales in St. Louis, the film received a limited release in Los Angeles and Dallas. Further theatrical expansion was halted in St. Louis in August 2014 after the shooting of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Due to racial tensions in the city, Wehrenberg Theatres pulled the film from its planned release on September 5, 2014. The suppression of the film led to national media coverage, including an article by Deadline Hollywood. Spanish Lake was released to Video on demand on October 21, 2014, to critical acclaim. The DVD release came a month later on November 15, 2014. ()