Art House Extra | History Never Repeats, But It Rhymes in ‘The 24th’

One of the most buzzed movies of the season is “The 24th,” a historical drama based on what was called the “largest murder trial in the history of the United States.”

The movie depicts 64 Black soldiers charged with mutiny and murder in a court martial spinning out of a running conflict between soldiers and police in Houston during World War I.

Never heard of it? The movie’s director and co-writer, Lawrence-based Oscar-winner Kevin Willmott, has a theory about why.

“I think it was suppressed because it’s a story about African-Americans fighting back,” Willmott said in a recent episode of “Art House,” a Flatland-produced show for cinephiles. “It’s a piece of history that none of us — Black folks, White folks, nobody — really knows much about.”

The movie, originally scheduled to premiere at South by Southwest film festival before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be available on streaming services beginning today.

Willmott isn’t the only local connection to the movie. “Empire” star Trai Byers, a Kansas City, Kansas native who studied under Willmott at the University of Kansas, is a producer, co-writer and star of the film.

It may be based on historical events, but “The 24th” sounds torn from recent headlines. You can learn much more in the attached video.