Interstate
Interstate is a documentary exploring the U.S. Interstate highway system’s engineering triumphs alongside its devastating impact on minority communities, particularly African Americans. Initiated a decade after WWII by President Eisenhower, the 41,000-mile, $51 billion project transformed the economy but displaced thriving Black neighborhoods in cities like Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Baltimore, Montgomery, and New Orleans.
The film highlights the destruction of Overtown in Miami, the Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul, Treme in New Orleans, and West Baltimore's "Highway to Nowhere," as well as the targeting of civil rights leaders’ homes in Montgomery. It examines themes of redlining, economic impact, health consequences, and alternative solutions while amplifying stories of resilience and inviting dialogue on repairing the lasting damage.
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Oscar CorralDirectorTom Wolfe Gets Back to Blood, Exotic Invaders: Pythons in the Everglades; The Return of the Panther; Springs Joy; The Fellowship of the Springs
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Haleem MuhsinDirectorThe Fellowship of the Springs
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Oscar CorralProducerTom Wolfe Gets Back to Blood, Exotic Invaders: Pythons in the Everglades; The Return of the Panther; Springs Joy; The Fellowship of the Springs
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Haleem MuhsinProducerThe Fellowship of the Springs
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Oscar CorralEditorTom Wolfe Gets Back to Blood, Exotic Invaders: Pythons in the Everglades; The Return of the Panther; Springs Joy; The Fellowship of the Springs
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Ana Karen GarroCo-EditorFallen Fruit, Blindfold Butterfly
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Trevor OwensField Producer
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Forrest CanadayAdditional Camera Work
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:1 hour 1 minute 3 seconds
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Completion Date:January 3, 2025
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Production Budget:190,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States, United States
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Country of Filming:United States, United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital 4k
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
Oscar Corral and Haleem Muhsin have worked together on several films. This is their first collaboration as co-directors and co-producers.
Oscar Corral is a Cuban-American journalist and Emmy-winning filmmaker known for his compelling documentaries and investigative reporting. His upcoming project, Interstate, examines the impact of the U.S. Interstate highway system on minority communities. Corral previously directed Tom Wolfe Gets Back to Blood (2012), a documentary about iconic author Tom Wolfe, which aired nationally on PBS. His Emmy-winning film Exotic Invaders: Pythons in the Everglades premiered on PBS in 2015 and later streamed on Netflix. Corral’s work also includes The Crossfire Kids (2014), a documentary about undocumented child immigrants, which earned an Emmy nomination. A former Miami Herald and Newsday journalist, Corral's impactful reporting and documentaries reflect his commitment to exploring stories of cultural and social significance.
Haleem Muhsin is a cinematographer, producer, and director based in South Florida, renowned for his purposeful storytelling. His work spans documentaries, short films, commercials, and narratives, with projects shot across the U.S. and the Caribbean. Collaborating with filmmakers like Oscar Corral and Marlon Johnson, Muhsin’s dedication to meaningful storytelling has earned him critical acclaim. His involvement with Emmy Award winning crews highlights his technical expertise and unwavering commitment to impactful visual storytelling.
This documentary evolved out of a short film that we produced about the effects of the construction of i95 on Overtown, Miami's historic African American community. While making that short film, our research led us to the realization that this did not just happen in one or two cities, it happened all across the United States. In cities across the country, the construction of the Interstate highway system from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s meant the destruction of black life, culture and wealth. Countless African Americans were displaced from their homes at a time when segregation and redlining made it almost impossible for them to move to other desirable locations within city limits, forcing them to move to remote locations in the suburbs that were poorly serviced by any sort of public transportation, marooning them in places with few jobs and economic prospects. The highways devoured African American homes, churches, businesses, public spaces, and landmarks. Some of the people affected say the interstate highway system, which was a modern engineering marvel, was weaponized to retaliate against African Americans for seeking civil rights during that time period. Whatever the motive, the results were catastrophic. The ripple effects of the Interstate highway system can still be felt among African American communities from Miami to Minneapolis and Baltimore to Los Angeles. This story has never been told in such depth in books or films. We hope to shed light on this era of double-edged innovation, where advanced American engineering that led to economic progress for many resulted in economic destruction for others. While affected communities across the nation figure out how to move forward, those affected still wrestle with the fallout.