The all-too-important racial justice movement can surge and cause conflict in some of the most unexpected places across America. The insightful new documentary, ‘My Omaha,’ powerfully showcases that struggle through the personal and professional lenses of up-and-coming filmmaker, Nick Beaulieu.

The storyteller fearlessly chronicles the way the escalating situation has encouraged discussion over how to end social conflict across the titular middle-class Midwestern city. Within the same story, he also emotionally highlights how the movement inspired his once close family, which resides in the Nebraskan city, to reconnect after becoming increasingly divided recently over the country’s politics.

Beaulieu made his feature film directorial debut on the project, which he also wrote and served as the cinematographer on. He also appears in, and produced, the movie.

‘My Omaha’ is set to have its World Premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, which is moving to Los Angeles this year. The movie is one of the top must-see documentaries at this year’s Slamdance.

‘My Omaha’ showcases how after Donald Trump was first elected president in 2016, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is escalating in Omaha. Beaulieu, who had just graduated from journalism school at the time, was determined to understand how these forces were colliding in his hometown. Along the way, he met Leo Louis II, a fearless activist, who introduced him to the birthplace of Malcolm X in North Omaha.

At the same time, Beaulieu explores the increasingly tense relationship with his fiercely pro-Trump father, Randy. After Randy is diagnosed with stage-4 cancer, the father-son duo commits to finding a new place of mutual understanding. The filmmaker also confronts the reality of his father’s illness and their uncompromising differences.

Beaulieu also becomes closer with Louis along the way. As they get to know each other, the filmmaker documents the activist’s ascension in Omaha as he guides the city through crisis following the polarizing death of a protestor. During his study of the racial justice movement of his city, Beaulieu searches for the deeper truths of what it says about America overall.

Beaulieu proves his value as an eager, vital documentarian on the rise with ‘My Omaha.’ He courageously noted how all forms of journalism, including social media, has been changing in recent years, due in large part to politics. Through clips of both his conflicting discussions with his father over how President Trump led America in his first term, and heated debates between city residents over the way various races were treated differently during the rise of the BLM movement, the filmmaker proves how facts are so heavily disputed right now.

The filmmaker grippingly emphasizes how many people from different classes, religions, political parties and races can no longer seem to agree on objective facts and to accept news that they don’t trust. Even he and his father couldn’t agree on political and racial beliefs as they discussed their distinctive views throughout the movie. That was realistically showcased in various scenarios, whether they were at home while they watched the news or attending church-led committees that discussed what the correct approach is to ending social divide in soul-bearing scenes.

Those intimate sequences were shot by using minimalistic, but equally unconventional, shooting styles. Also working as the documentary’s cinematographer, Beaulieu captured high quality 4K coverage on Panasonic GH5S cameras. The documentarian proved his ease of capturing the emotions of a diverse group of people from various backgrounds and viewpoints, especially during their interviews. Whether speaking with activists like Louis and Project KNOSE founder Robert Wagner, or more conservative-minded people like his father, about their political experiences and beliefs, Beaulieu used intimate shots to present their beliefs in a sympathetic light.

Beaulieu interwove those situations through empathic, in-depth editing. Working with ‘My Omaha’s editors, including Emmy-winners Jordan Montminy and Maeve O’Boyle, as well as Summers Henderson, the director’s intuitive approach of letting subjects reveal themselves through their intimate stories is evident.

Throughout the edit, Beaulieu also fearlessly divulged his own personal struggles by presenting his complex, ever-evolving relationship with his father in an intriguing non-linear fashion. By interweaving home videos from his childhood, when he easily bonded with Randy, with their disagreements over politics later in life, the feature is a powerful reminder on how political beliefs can even separate people from the same background – or even family.

Beaulieu encapsules the perfect background and viewpoints to represent and share the stories of his home city in ‘My Omaha.’ Through intimate cinematography to craft intriguing, suspense-building storytelling that’s shown through the project’s stellar editing, the documentary evokes a sense of empathy towards everyone impacted by the conflicts that impact the region. The movie evokes a sense of timelessness and modern sense of urgency and relevance that advocates for equal rights and justice for all.

‘My Omaha’ held its first screening at the Slamdance Film Festival today, Sunday, February 23 at 11:45am PT at the Panasonic LUMIX Theater at Quixote. The documentary will then have its second screening at the festival this Tuesday, February 25 at 1:30pm PT at the Landmark Theater 4. For more information on the movie and its next screening at the festival, including how to buy tickets, visit its page on Slamdance’s website.