With Donald Trump vowing to keep undocumented Mexicans out of the U.S. with a wall and Hillary Clinton promising the same immigrants a path to citizenship, immigration was a big issue in the 2016 presidential election. But what about the flip side – emigration? In this episode of BackStory, we ask who’s chosen to leave the U.S. and what parts of their American identities they took with them - from the free blacks who sailed to Liberia in search of true freedom to the Depression-era refugees who moved to the Soviet Union.

Early this morning, Donald J. Trump was declared president-elect and will become the 45th President of the United States. The victory came as a surprise to many and it feels like a rupture in American history.

Just what should we make of this and how can we draw lessons from the past? In this BackStory short take, Brian and Ed look to add perspective to this historic event.

(Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)

We're back together post our New Orleans Film Festival adventure and we're talking about that surprising Walking Dead Season premiere and the Directors of Deadpool & The Flash both quitting!

ABOUT US

bckstry is an organization that provides youth mentorship and job training to aspiring filmmakers while supporting local artists (learn more at www.bckstry.org or checkout our Facebook: www.facebook.com/bckstry/)

Our podcast is about films, pop culture, news, reviews and things interesting to creatives. Join us every week as Writer/Director, Ahmed Siddiqui, Producer, Adam Hensgens, and bckstry program mentee and aspiring cinematographer, Kate Rogers, sit down and talk about the things we love: film.

Connect with us on:

Website: bit.ly/bckstryweb

Facebook: bit.ly/bckstryfb

Twitter: bit.ly/bckstrytwit

Instagram: bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Linked In: bit.ly/bckstryLinkedIn

Ahmed Siddiqui

bit.ly/ahmedweb

bit.ly/bckstrytwit

bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Adam Hensgens

404 Error.

Kate Rogers

bit.ly/kateinsta

If the record TV viewership of the Clinton-Trump presidential debates is any guide, voter turnout for the November election could reach levels not seen since the Gilded Age. It’s easy to be nostalgic for the consistently high voter turnout in the late 19th century, until you consider all the people who weren’t eligible to vote back then. In this episode of BackStory, the History Guys look at voting trends - from the changing mechanisms of voting to how the electoral college system maintained racial hierarchies in the South.

Last Friday, FBI Director James Comey informed Congress of a potential link between a device owned by disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The disclosure effectively reopened the investigation into Clinton's private server and email activity during her time as Secretary of State. It also set off a firestorm of protests from both sides of the aisle. Just what is the role of the FBI when investigating politicians and did Comey cross a line with a move that many are interpreting as interfering with a presidential election within two weeks of Americans voting? In this BackStory short take, the Guys talk to Yale historian Beverly Gage about the history of the FBI's involvement in U.S. elections. 

In our last interview from New Orleans Film Fest, we are joined by Writer/Director Nick Friend of the mock-rock-doc "Pensacola Prophet: The Story of Pecan Pinwheelie." We discuss he and his team's creative process and how he has survived working the indie scene in Nashville.

Nick Friend: http://www.friendfilms.com/

The Film: http://www.pensacolaprophet.com/

Our podcast is sponsored by New Orleans Film Fest, New Orleans Film Society, The Opportunity Machine, NOVAC and Echo Sound Records.

ABOUT US

bckstry is an organization that provides youth mentorship and job training to aspiring filmmakers while supporting local artists (learn more at www.bckstry.org or checkout our Facebook: www.facebook.com/bckstry/)

Our podcast is about films, pop culture, news, reviews and things interesting to creatives. Join us every week as Writer/Director, Ahmed Siddiqui, Producer, Adam Hensgens, and bckstry program mentee and aspiring cinematographer, Kate Rogers, sit down and talk about the things we love: film.

Connect with us on:

Website: bit.ly/bckstryweb

Facebook: bit.ly/bckstryfb

Twitter: bit.ly/bckstrytwit

Instagram: bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Linked In: bit.ly/bckstryLinkedIn

Ahmed Siddiqui

bit.ly/ahmedweb

bit.ly/bckstrytwit

bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Adam Hensgens

404 Error.

Kate Rogers

bit.ly/kateinsta

We're joined by Director Michael Aronson of the short film "Nutcracker," an urban coming of age drama about a sexually curious girl seeking validation in a "boys will be boys,""she was asking for it" America.

Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/NutcrackerFilm/

Our podcast is sponsored by New Orleans Film Fest, New Orleans Film Society, The Opportunity Machine, NOVAC and Echo Sound Records.

ABOUT US

bckstry is an organization that provides youth mentorship and job training to aspiring filmmakers while supporting local artists (learn more at www.bckstry.org or checkout our Facebook: www.facebook.com/bckstry/)

Our podcast is about films, pop culture, news, reviews and things interesting to creatives. Join us every week as Writer/Director, Ahmed Siddiqui, Producer, Adam Hensgens, and bckstry program mentee and aspiring cinematographer, Kate Rogers, sit down and talk about the things we love: film.

Connect with us on:

Website: bit.ly/bckstryweb

Facebook: bit.ly/bckstryfb

Twitter: bit.ly/bckstrytwit

Instagram: bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Linked In: bit.ly/bckstryLinkedIn

Ahmed Siddiqui

bit.ly/ahmedweb

bit.ly/bckstrytwit

bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Adam Hensgens

404 Error.

Kate Rogers

bit.ly/kateinsta

We're LIVE from the rooftop of the Ace Hotel in downtown New Orleans for the 27th Annual New Orleans Film Fest! We're joined by Co-Directors A. Davis and Alex Aaron of the short film "OUT," the story of Alexis, a transgender woman coming out to her friends and family.

Our podcast is sponsored by New Orleans Film Fest, New Orleans Film Society, The Opportunity Machine, NOVAC and Echo Sound Records.

ABOUT US

bckstry is an organization that provides youth mentorship and job training to aspiring filmmakers while supporting local artists (learn more at www.bckstry.org or checkout our Facebook: www.facebook.com/bckstry/)

Our podcast is about films, pop culture, news, reviews and things interesting to creatives. Join us every week as Writer/Director, Ahmed Siddiqui, Producer, Adam Hensgens, and bckstry program mentee and aspiring cinematographer, Kate Rogers, sit down and talk about the things we love: film.

Connect with us on:

Website: bit.ly/bckstryweb

Facebook: bit.ly/bckstryfb

Twitter: bit.ly/bckstrytwit

Instagram: bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Linked In: bit.ly/bckstryLinkedIn

Ahmed Siddiqui

bit.ly/ahmedweb

bit.ly/bckstrytwit

bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Adam Hensgens

404 Error.

Kate Rogers

bit.ly/kateinsta

We're LIVE from the rooftop of the Ace Hotel in downtown New Orleans for the 27th Annual New Orleans Film Fest! We're joined by Director Vashti Harrison director of the experimental short "Forged From The Love of Liberty" the documentary "Sixteen."

We talk about her Carribean upbringing, her love for experimental film and great advice for aspiring artists.

Zandashe Brown: http://www.vashtiharrison.com/

ABOUT US

bckstry is an organization that provides youth mentorship and job training to aspiring filmmakers while supporting local artists (learn more at www.bckstry.org or checkout our Facebook: www.facebook.com/bckstry/)

Our podcast is about films, pop culture, news, reviews and things interesting to creatives. Join us every week as Writer/Director, Ahmed Siddiqui, Producer, Adam Hensgens, and bckstry program mentee and aspiring cinematographer, Kate Rogers, sit down and talk about the things we love: film.

Connect with us on:

Website: bit.ly/bckstryweb

Facebook: bit.ly/bckstryfb

Twitter: bit.ly/bckstrytwit

Instagram: bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Linked In: bit.ly/bckstryLinkedIn

Ahmed Siddiqui

bit.ly/ahmedweb

bit.ly/bckstrytwit

bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Adam Hensgens

404 Error.

Kate Rogers

bit.ly/kateinsta

We're LIVE from the rooftop of the Ace Hotel in downtown New Orleans for the 27th Annual New Orleans Film Fest! We're joined by Director Zandashe Brown and Editor Jalea Jackson from the narrative short THE CONJURE WOMAN & the documentary SUMMER16. We talk about their unique project, being minorities in the film industry and discuss key advice for aspiring filmmakers.

Zandashe Brown: http://www.zandashe.com/

Jalea Jackson: https://www.instagram.com/jjackson_12/

ABOUT US

bckstry is an organization that provides youth mentorship and job training to aspiring filmmakers while supporting local artists (learn more at www.bckstry.org or checkout our Facebook: www.facebook.com/bckstry/)

Our podcast is about films, pop culture, news, reviews and things interesting to creatives. Join us every week as Writer/Director, Ahmed Siddiqui, Producer, Adam Hensgens, and bckstry program mentee and aspiring cinematographer, Kate Rogers, sit down and talk about the things we love: film.

Connect with us on:

Website: bit.ly/bckstryweb

Facebook: bit.ly/bckstryfb

Twitter: bit.ly/bckstrytwit

Instagram: bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Linked In: bit.ly/bckstryLinkedIn

Ahmed Siddiqui

bit.ly/ahmedweb

bit.ly/bckstrytwit

bit.ly/bckstryinsta

Adam Hensgens

404 Error.

Kate Rogers

bit.ly/kateinsta