Sit-In (1960)
Robert M. Young's landmark 1960 documentary capturing the student-led campaign to desegregate Nashville's lunch counters.
Sit-In - Movie Information
- Original Title: Sit-In
- Release Year: 1960
- Directed by: Robert M. Young
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Documentary
- Runtime: 56m
- Original Language: English
- Production Companies: NBC News
- Production Countries: United States of America
Sit-In - Plot
SIT-IN (1960) is filmmaker Robert M. Young's (Nothing But A Man, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez) seminal documentary on how the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Students of Fisk University desegregated the lunch counters in Nashville, TN.
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Sit-In - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Robert M. Young
Main Cast
- Chet Huntley
- John Lewis
Producers
- Al Wasserman
Sit-In - FAQs
What is Sit-In (1960) about?
Sit-In follows the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and students from Fisk University as they staged peaceful protests to desegregate lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. Directed by Robert M. Young, it captures one of the Civil Rights Movement's most disciplined and successful nonviolent campaigns with remarkable immediacy.
Is Sit-In a historically significant documentary?
Absolutely. Filmed in 1960 as events unfolded, Sit-In is considered a landmark of American documentary filmmaking. It captures the Nashville sit-in movement in real time, offering an unfiltered look at nonviolent direct action that helped reshape the Civil Rights Movement and inspired generations of activists.
Where can you watch Sit-In (1960)?
You can stream Sit-In for free on Kanopy. Kanopy is available through many public libraries and universities, so all you need is a library card or student login to access it at no cost.
Who is John Lewis in Sit-In?
John Lewis appears in Sit-In as himself — a young student activist and key figure in the Nashville sit-in movement. He would go on to become one of the most celebrated leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and later a long-serving U.S. Congressman, making his early appearance here historically invaluable.
Who directed Sit-In and what else did they make?
Robert M. Young directed Sit-In. He later became known for acclaimed narrative features including Nothing But a Man (1964) and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982), both celebrated for their humanistic portrayals of marginalized communities. Sit-In stands as the early work that defined his socially committed filmmaking voice.
How long is the documentary Sit-In?
Sit-In runs 56 minutes — a tight, focused runtime that makes it ideal for classroom screenings, film discussions, or a focused solo viewing. Despite its brevity, it delivers a powerful and complete portrait of the Nashville desegregation campaign.
What was the Nashville lunch counter movement?
The Nashville lunch counter movement was a 1960 campaign in which Black students staged disciplined sit-ins at segregated downtown lunch counters. Trained in nonviolent resistance, they endured harassment and arrest until Nashville became one of the first Southern cities to desegregate its lunch counters — a major Civil Rights victory.
What films are similar to Sit-In (1960)?
If Sit-In resonates with you, Sidney (2022) — a documentary portrait of Sidney Poitier — covers overlapping Civil Rights era themes. Directed by John Ford (1971) and Extremis (2016) also offer compelling documentary filmmaking. For broader social documentaries, A Plastic Ocean (2016) and The Class of '92 (2013) are worth exploring.
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