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The Barber of Little Rock

John Hoffman (Director), Christine Turner (Director)

Filmmakers: John Hoffman (Director), Christine Turner (Director)
Envoys: John Hoffman (Director), Christine Turner (Director)

Synopsis: The Barber of Little Rock explores America’s widening racial wealth gap through the story of Arlo Washington, a local barber whose visionary approach to a just economy can be found in the mission of People Trust, the nonprofit community bank he founded. Experiencing the effects of generational poverty and structural racism firsthand, Arlo understands his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas and the profound mistrust of financial institutions that have historically excluded his community from financial stability and economic mobility. Operating as the sole bank within a ten-mile radius, Arlo’s People Trust fosters economic progress for underserved and underbanked residents, providing an economic beacon of hope that could reshape the future of banking.

About the Envoys:

Christine Turner is a filmmaker who spotlights tender, intimate portraits of people in socially charged landscapes. Her films include: J’NAI BRIDGES UNAMPLIFLIED, a profile of the Grammy-winning opera singer for PBS’ American Masters; MTV Documentary Films’ LYNCHING POSTCARDS: TOKEN OF A GREAT DAY, which was nominated for a Peabody, shortlisted for an Oscar and won an NAACP Image Award; and the critically-acclaimed HOMEGOINGS, which premiered at Documentary Fortnight at MoMA and was broadcast on PBS’ POV. Other directing credits include episodes of Hulu’s THE 1619 PROJECT and PBS’ ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, as well as the short artist profiles, BETYE SAAR: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS and PAINT & PITCHFORK for New York Times Op-Docs and the New Yorker, respectively.

In 2023 John Hoffman became an Oscar nominee for his short documentary, THE BARBER OF LITTLE ROCK. John is a six-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker, whose films include FAUCI (2021 Telluride Film Festival), RANCHER, FARMER, FISHERMAN (2017 Sundance Film Festival, Discovery) and OUT OF MANY, ONE (2018 New York Film Festival, Netflix). Much of John’s work has focused on the key health issues of our time, including THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION (HBO), ADDICTION (HBO), THE ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT (HBO), and FIRST IN HUMAN (Discovery). John has also been a network executive. He was the Executive Vice President of Documentaries & Specials for Discovery from 2015 to 2018, after nearly two decades as Vice President of Documentary Programming at HBO.