Directors Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker talk controversial documentary ‘Welcome to
American filmmakers unveil the storm of Leith, North Dakota and the importance of remaining objective.
In 2012, American white supremacist, nationalist, anti-Semite and neo-Nazi Craig Cobb relocated to the remote town of Leith, North Dakota. With a total area of 1.24 square miles, and a population of just 16, Leith is one of the smallest cities in North America. Upon his arrival, Cobb’s intention was to take over as Mayor and inflict his controversial beliefs upon the residents of Leith by encouraging fellow white supremacists to accompany him.
This prolific topic became the basis for the documentary Welcome to Leith, directed by American filmmakers Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker.
In search of a new project after completing their 2013 documentary Flex Is Kings, Nichols and Walker came across an article in the New York Times about a white supremacist bidding to take over a small mid-Western town. “My initial response was ‘wow, this is crazy’ because it seemed like we could talk to everyone about this as Leith is such a small town” recites Walker. “We really thought that Cobb and the story was gaining momentum: the local media wasn’t doing it justice and we offered a more in depth look at these issues.”
Monitoring the story of Cobb and its surrounding controversy, Walker and Nichols boarded a plane from their native New York to North Dakota after an additional white supremacist arrived in Leith. Neo-Nazi Kynan Dutton relocated with his wife and five children relocated to the North Dakota town residing in a mobile home with no running water on Cobb’s property. “We thought it was very important to include Cobb and Dutton from the get-go,” says Walker. “Luckily, they trusted us as we were very transparent about what we were doing.”
Cobb gave his permission to appear in Welcome to Leith, which came as somewhat of as surprise to its directors. “Cobb felt that more people would hear about what he was trying to do; he was using the media to achieve his beliefs”, confirms Nichols. Despite the directors’ work ethos, both Walker and Nichols did not condone or agree with Cobb’s behaviour or that of any other white supremacist whilst filming. “We’re not sympathisers so we were a but worried that he wouldn’t want to be involved,” says Walker. However, both directors were adamant about remaining as objective as possible throughout the filmmaking process. “We’re the kind of filmmakers that aren’t interested in trying to make a statement,” affirms Nichols. “We’re approaching a film from an issue standpoint determining whether we either want to debunk it or prove it - which is what we did.”
Whilst Cobb, Dutton and other residents of Leith were firm about expressing their opinions for the film, other members of the community were not as comfortable with being on camera. It was during this time that Cobb and Dutton’s behaviour escalated as they attended council meetings to coerce members, continued to shout racial slurs and smeared swastika signs on their residence. “Once residents figured out who he was, people became very frightened about the potential violence that could break out”, recalls Nichols. “This spiralled out of control - it wasn’t necessarily a reaction to what his beliefs were - it was more a reaction to this man wanting to move in outsiders and change everything.”
Welcome to Leith was documented across an eight-month period with Nichols and Walker commuting back and forth between Leith and New York. The film financed through a Kickstarter campaign, eventually raising over $60,000. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Documentary competition which was attended by The Mayor of Leith, Ryan Schock, and his wife. “Sundance is a dream come through for American documentaries and independent film because it is the ultimate launching pad”, says Nichols. Cobb was also keen to attend the premiere but is still unable to leave the state of North Dakota on request. “We were juggling Cogg trying to attend alongside the film premiering which is nerve-wracking in itself; so all and all it was a very stressful experience.”
Nichols and Walker have been filmmaking partners for over five years, developing a variety of documentaries and short films. The directing duo insist that they would not have it any other way, particularly after working on a project like Welcome to Leith. “It would be much harder to make this with just one person as the director – it feels much more collaborative and democratic”, says Walker. “Not only are we filmmaking partners but we’re friends and continue to partner on things.” Despite their enthusiasm, the directors faced a number of challenges along the way. “It’s a breaking story in a lot of ways and, therefore, it was extremely difficult”, explains Nichols. Walker adds, “Filming something that wasn’t in your backyard, but was imperative, was extremely difficult. Plus, the place is so isolated – you really felt you like you were alone out there.”
Walker and Nichols explore issues of race, authority and political controversy in an objective and affective manner. “We want to have integrity and let people have their say – there’s a certain level of respect and responsibility that goes along with that”, says Nichols. “We did our best to tell an honest story and give an honest portrayal.” Cobb remains one of the most notorious racists in the United States, continuing to wreak havoc in one of the most remote towns in North America.