WATCH TRAILER

The Inquisitor

A film by Angela Tucker

United States | 2025 | 98 minutes | English | Order No. W251321

In 1972, Barbara Jordan became the first Southern Black woman to join Congress. THE INQUISITOR chronicles Representative Jordan’s meteoric rise offering a blueprint for uniting a divided America through a turbulent political era.

SYNOPSIS

As a young girl in Houston’s Fifth Ward, Barbara Jordan was taught to defy expectations. She understood that to succeed, she would need to forge her own path. With relentless determination and unyielding tenacity, Barbara Jordan made history as Texas’s first Black state senator and the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In a world dominated by white men, she moved with deft skill, earning both their respect and their fear. At a time when the idea of a Black woman holding power seemed inconceivable, Barbara Jordan created a roadmap for change.


Angela Lynn Tucker’s THE INQUISITOR offers a powerful portrait of Barbara Jordan’s rise to prominence. Told through Barbara’s commanding voice and making use of archival footage, the film weaves her inspiring personal story with key historical moments, highlighting her profound impact on American politics. Her legacy invites reflection on the nation’s past and present, emphasizing the importance of civic engagement and the power of bipartisanship.

Barbara Jordan’s oratory skills became legendary, particularly her historic speech during the Watergate hearings, which earned her the moniker “The Inquisitor.” This title symbolized her dedication to challenging the status quo and her commitment to holding those in power accountable.

Featuring interviews with Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Dan Rather, and many others, and narrated by the Academy Award-nominated actress Alfre Woodard, THE INQUISITOR illuminates Barbara Jordan’s extraordinary life and legacy.

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

  • Tribeca Film Festival, 2025
  • DC/DOX Film Festival, 2025
  • Austin Film Festival, 2025
  • New Orleans Film Festival, 2025

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Angela Tucker

Angela Tucker is an Emmy and Webby Award–winning filmmaker and artist dedicated to telling stories that spotlight underrepresented communities in bold and unconventional ways.

Her recent work includes Belly of the Beast (dir. Erika Cohn), a New York Times Critics’ Pick; The Trees Remember, a Webby-winning branded series created in collaboration with REI Co-Op Studios; and A New Orleans Noel, a Lifetime holiday film starring Patti LaBelle.

Angela’s past directorial work includes the PBS-aired documentary short All Skinfolk, Ain’t Kinfolk; the groundbreaking web series Black Folk Don’t, featured in Time Magazine’s “10 Ideas That Are Changing Your Life”; the feature film All Styles (Showtime); and A(sexual), a feature documentary about people who experience no sexual attraction, which streamed on Netflix and Hulu.

Her latest film, The Inquisitor—a portrait of political icon Barbara Jordan—will premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and broadcast nationally on PBS. (10/08)

Credits: 

Directed and Produced by Angela Lynn Tucker  

Produced by Trevite Willis, Moira Griffin  

Internal narration of Barbara Jordan voiced by Alfre Woodard  

Director of Photography and Co-Producer Duane Prefume  

Edited by Annukka Lilja  

Original Score by Omar Fadel  

Executive Producers Jameka Autry, Katy Drake Bettner, Tyrone Dixon  

Executive Producer Carrie Lozano  

Supervising Producer Michael Kinomoto  

  

Executive Producers for Firelight Media Stanley Nelson, Marcia Smith  

Supervising Producer Julia Pontecorvo  

Executive Producer for BPM Leslie Fields-Cruz, Denise A. Greene  

Archival Producers Michelle Ngo, Susanne Mason  

Co-Producer Charu Raman  

Associate Producer Ausinikka Hunter  

Consulting Producers Anurima Bhargava, Toneisha Taylor, Noland Walker  

Co-Executive Producer Jennifer Pelling,  

Executive Producers Grace Lay, Jonathan Logan  

Animation by Kelly Gallagher  

Graphics by Mindbomb  

Motion Graphics Artists Christopher Kirk, Syd Garon 


Quotes: 

“More than just a spotlight on a fascinating historical figure, [Tucker's] fantastic film brings the urgency and terror of our current political moment into stark relief.” - Andrea Schmidt, Movie Jawn 

“The strength of the film really lies in Jordan’s words, and Tucker always gives them the weight they deserve.” - Beth Accomando, Alliance of Women Film Journalists 

 

"When the film employs its end credits to show the many monuments in Rep. Jordan’s likeness around the state, Tucker can take pride in building something equally formidable, providing a stage once again for her words to reverberate." - Stephen Saito, The Moveable Fest 

 

"A wonderful archival documentary about Barbara Jordan, a trailblazer and one of the great orators in American political history." - Stephen Silver, SS Ben Hecht 

 

“Told through Barbara’s own commanding voice, as narrated by Alfre Woodard, the film intertwines rich archival footage, stylish interviews and more to tell the inspiring story of an American icon.” - Faridah Gbadamos, Tribecca Film 

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