W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause is a feature-length documentary directed by Peabody Award–winning filmmaker Rita Coburn that explores the life, ideas, and enduring impact of one of America’s most influential intellectuals. More than 120 years after The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois’ analysis of race, identity, and systemic injustice remains urgently relevant.

Born just five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Du Bois became a pioneering scholar, writer, and activist—co-founding the NAACP, shaping early civil rights movements, and challenging America to confront the “color line.” The film traces his journey from groundbreaking scholarship to global influence, including his revolutionary work at the 1900 Paris Exposition, where he used data and design to counter racist narratives on an international stage.

Featuring narration by Viola Davis and readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance, and Jeffrey Wright, the documentary offers an intimate, cinematic portrait of a visionary whose ideas continue to shape our world.