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Award-winning filmmakers premiere George Floyd protest documentary

The Brief The World Premiere of 612: Darkness in the Land of Nice screened at Justice Page Middle School on Friday – two days before the 5-year anniversary of Floyd's death. The documentary tells the story of how young adults sparked the world's largest protest after Floyd's murder. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A new documentary tells the story of how young adults sparked the "world's largest protest in modern history" after the murder of George Floyd. What we know The film is titled "612: Darkness in the Land of Nice" and FOX 9's Leon Purvis spoke with the writer, producer, and director of the film – who say they wanted to find out how and why young people came together to make change. One of the people featured in the film is Emma Pederson. She was 22 years old when former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on Floyd's neck five years ago Sunday. "When George Floyd happened to us, it was, frankly, nothing new. I think the circumstances surrounding George Floyd's death, with the pandemic, people being locked inside and everything like that – I think that's really what made it pop off," said Pederson. What they're saying Writer, director and producer Diem Van Groth tells FOX 9 he was just one of the citizens on the street documenting history. Van Groth wasn't planning on making a film, but found it important to see what was going on, and the movement he saw from the younger generation. "It's their courage and their decision. Everybody gets a chance to make history, and the kids and young people in the state of Minnesota, they decided to get up on the street and get themselves some justice," said Van Groth. Van Groth wants everyone to never forget what happened on May 25, 2020, but also find ways to heal. "The film is meant to make sure that the world knows, that tragedy happened in Minnesota, but these are the organizations that are supporting young people to help move Minnesota and the nation forward," said Van Groth. What's next Van Groth says he believes we are better off than we were five years ago, but we're not where we need to be yet.