Inspirational in the best sense of the term... — Variety

This documentation of a young girl’s stunning triumph is rigorous and magical, a triumph of the will in all of the best senses. — The Hollywood Reporter

...an inspirational story and a very moving film. — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

Legacy, a powerful documentary that moved me up, up, and far away from the jangle at Sundance... That an audience could be so inspired by pictures on a screen is the reason I look forward to climbing that hellish Main Street hill, huffing and hopeful, year after year. — Entertainment Weekly

... a subtly shaded image of hope and perseverance, flourishing where it is most precariously endangered. — L.A. Weekly

A stunning saga of one family’s ascendancy from the grips of despair, writer/producer/director Tod Lending’s Legacy is a masterwork of unique inspiration. With a style that is immediate, trusting, and incredibly intimate, Lending’s six-year odyssey is a majestic tribute to the dignity and perseverance of one family against the odds of untold adversity. — Sundance Film Festival

What he [Lending] has created is not just a stunning testimony to the devastation that violence and poverty wrought on an African-American family. The film is, more importantly, proof of the power of hope and determination for us all. — Austin Chronicle

A remarkable documentary... Whatever your political beliefs, Legacy will confound your preconceptions about race and poverty in America...
— Business Week

When the networks are looking for true stories to turn into TV movies, how come they never seem to find stories like this? — USA Today

… [a] deeply moving film. — The Wall Street Journal

On the Web

BusinessWeek
The Austin Chronicle
The Filmmaker Magazine

Film Festivals and Awards

• Academy Award Nominee for Best Feature Documentary
• National Emmy Nomination for Best Documentary
• Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism
• Council on Foundations Honor
• Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival
• Official Selection, Cinema du Reel (Paris)
• Innovation in Documentaries Award, Reel Screen Magazine
• Pare Lorenz Nomination, International Documentary Association
• Best Feature Documentary Nomination, International Documentary Association
• Audience Award, SeoulDoc (Seoul, Korea)
• Reel Humanitarian Award, Tambay Film Festival
• Official Selection, Edinburgh International Film Festival (Scotland)
• Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, Florida Film Festival
• Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival
• Silver Medal Award, Houston International Film Festival
• Silver Hugo Award, Chicago International Film Festival
• Special Council on Foundations Honor
• Victim Service Award, Cook County State’s Attorneys Office
• Official Selection, Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival (Greece)
• Official Selection, Philadelphia World Cinema
• Official Selection, Urbanworld Film Festival
• Official Selection, Cleveland International Film Festival
• Official Selection, South by Southwest
• Official Selection, Santa Barbara International Film Festival
• Special Invitation, Roger Ebert’s Overlooked Film Festival
• Special Invitation, Independent’s Night at Lincoln Center (NYC)
• Official Selection, Calgary International Film Festival (Canada)
• Official Selection Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain)
• Official Selection St. Louis International Film Festival
• Official Selection Rehoboth Beach Festival
• Special Invitation Atlanta Peachtree Film Society
• Official Selection Ojai Film Festival
• Official Selection 4th Belo Horizonte Documentary Fest. (Brasil)
• Special Invitation Havana International Film Festival (Cuba)
• Official Selection Cinemagic, Northern Ireland’s International Film Festival (Ireland)
• Official Selection Festroia (Portugal)

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