Natchez Documentary Shatters Sanitized Southern History

Suzannah Herbert's film captures the tension between a town's antebellum property tours and local Black residents' efforts to correct the record.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 1:35am

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An extreme close-up of an ornate, antique-style picture frame in muted, earthy tones, capturing the texture and lighting in a high-contrast, high-fashion style to conceptually represent the tension between romanticized history and painful realities.A documentary that shatters the fantasy of the South's antebellum past, exposing the malicious prejudices that remain.Natchez Today

The documentary Natchez, directed by Suzannah Herbert, focuses on a small town in Mississippi with a big antebellum tourism industry. As the town's white homeowners disseminate a sanitized version of Southern history through their property tours, Herbert's film captures the tension between this fantasy of the past and the attempts by local Black residents to correct the record and expose the malicious prejudices that remain.

Why it matters

Natchez highlights the ongoing struggle to acknowledge and reckon with the realities of America's racist history, as opposed to promoting a romanticized narrative. The film sheds light on how certain communities continue to profit from and perpetuate a false depiction of the past, while those directly impacted by that history work to set the record straight.

The details

Directed by Suzannah Herbert, an expert chronicler of the American South, Natchez documents the tension in a small Mississippi town between the antebellum property tours run by white homeowners and the efforts of local Black residents to correct the historical record. As the town's sanitized version of Southern history is disseminated, Herbert's film slowly but powerfully shatters the fantasy of the nation's past and exposes the malicious prejudices that remain.

  • Natchez premiered at a film festival in 2026.

The players

Suzannah Herbert

The director of the documentary Natchez, an expert chronicler of the American South.

Natchez, Mississippi

A small town in Mississippi with a large antebellum tourism industry, the focus of the documentary.

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What they’re saying

“Natchez is a documentary that absolutely haunted me.”

— Max Cea, Film Critic

The takeaway

Natchez powerfully exposes the ongoing struggle to confront America's racist history, as opposed to promoting a romanticized narrative. The film sheds light on how certain communities continue to profit from and perpetuate a false depiction of the past, while those directly impacted by that history work to set the record straight.