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Film: Welcome to Leith

What happens to a small community when a group of white supremacists knocks on the door and wants to settle? This documentary explores what happens to democratic principles when they are pushed to the limit, and how we in a free society, confront people whose views we find abhorrent.

Welcome to Leith

This documentary presents the disruption caused by the notorious white supremacist Craig Cobbs as he moves into a tiny North Dakota community of 24 inhabitants. He starts buying up real estate and invites other white supremacists to move in, the aim being to take over the entire community and make it into a white nationalist enclave. We follow the ensuing tension that constantly threatens to spill over into violence.

The filmmakers Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker were given access to both sides and have tried to portray the conflict in a balanced way. You can read an interview with the two filmmakers on the PBS website: link to interview on PBS website. In this interview, they explain how surreal and challenging the situation was during the filming, both for them and for the inhabitants of Leith.

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CC BY-SAWritten by: Karin Søvik.
Last revised date 11/19/2020

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