When Godfrey Cheshire’s family decided to uproot their pre-civil war plantation home from its original location, more than just the old foundation was dug up. As first-time filmmaker Cheshire discovers while documenting the process, liaisons between his own ancestors and the slaves on their plantation produced a branch to a family tree that had roots reaching back into North Carolina’s pre-war past. In Moving Midway Cheshire also pauses to reflect on the legacy of the South as portrayed by Hollywood, skillfully interlacing clips from Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Wind with original footage. Thus the mansion’s relocation is an opportunity to document a feat of technical ingenuity and a chance to revisit a troubled period in our nation’s history.

Presented as part of the Depth of Field 2010-2011 Series: Spaces and Places

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