ABOUT THE FILM
In 1953, my grandfather, Nathaniel Allen, was murdered on the Sampit River in the historic Lowcountry town Georgetown, SC by a gunshot wound to the back of his head. This murder, though not the only event of injustice and tragedy in Georgetown, rocked my family and our community. The injustice was compounded by the refusal to investigate and the lie written on his death certificate that his death was an “accidental drowning” due to him “fall[ing] off the boat.” This event was traumatic for my grandmother, Rebecca Young, and her entire family, including my father Phillip Allen, Sr., who was only two years old at the time of his father’s death. As attested to by her brothers in the film, my grandmother would never be the same. From my own experience growing up seeing my father’s behavior, he would never be the same once he found out at nine years old how his father died. This documentary short film exposes the truth about his death and delves into the reality of intergenerational trauma due to racial injustices/tragedies.
Open Wounds continues the conversation of systemic/structural/institutional racism that further traumatizes people of color, especially African Americans. This film aims to enlighten with a history lesson, educate, challenge, and give us hope that there is the possibility of authentic racial solidarity that could change culture in this nation for the better. We will never “make America great again” until we all engage the issues of race(ism) once and for all.
