Megan Matier

Before America is a cinematic documentary uncovering the Indigenous histories of Michigan long before the United States existed. From the 1763 uprising at Fort Michilimackinac to Odawa trail trees and the overlooked women of Fort Detroit, the film reveals how Anishinaabe nations shaped Great Lakes history and helped spark the chain of events that ultimately pushed the American colonies.

This powerful one-woman drama from Sandra Seaton, set at Monticello in the final days before Thomas Jefferson’s death, gives a voice to Sally Hemings. Sabrina Sloan (Hamilton’s Angelica Schuyler) portrays Sally Hemings as well as Jefferson, his daughter Martha and Sally’s brother James. Amid rising family tensions, Sally struggles to ensure Jefferson’s promise to free their children is final.