A City in the Forest

When the city of Atlanta announces plans to build the largest police training center in the US—destroying a vital urban forest in the process—a decentralized activist movement mobilizes to stop “Cop City”.

Forest defenders occupy the Weelaunee Forest, disrupting construction through direct action. Their resistance delays the progress of police militarization, but the celebration is cut short when police raid the camp and kill one of the activists, Tortuguita. Grief turns to defiance as protests spill into the streets, transforming a local land struggle into a national reckoning over policing, environmental justice, and democracy.

With rare access, A City in the Forest witnesses the power of collective organizing in an urgent and historic struggle.

Website: acityintheforest.com

SCREENINGS/AWARDS:

Sheffield DocFest - Special Mention Award for International First Feature Film (World Premiere, June 2026)

DMZ Docs - International Competition (Asian Premiere, September 2026)

DokuFest - Human Rights Dox Competition (Kosovo Premiere, August 2026)

Lemesos International Documentary Film Festival (Cyprus Premiere, August 2026)

SUPPORT FROM:

2024: Ford Foundation JustFilms Production Grant, Scottish Documentary Institute Edinburgh Pitch, Center for Independent Documentary Kopkind Seminar

2023: Southern Documentary Fund Production Grant, MountainFilm Commitment Grant, Yale Law School DocProject, Freedom of the Press Foundation