The Best of Enemies
Outspoken activist Ann Atwater teams up with reluctant Ku Klux Klan leader C.P. Ellis to force Durham’s schools to integrate, sparking a volatile showdown that could either ignite community violence or forge an unexpected path toward redemption.
“Change is worth fighting for”
Synopsis
The film centers on the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader who reluctantly co-chaired a community summit, battling over the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina during the racially-charged summer of 1971. The incredible events that unfolded would change Durham and the lives of Atwater and Ellis forever.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 396+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Harry YoonShot by David LanzenbergScored by Marcelo ZarvosDesigned by Jeannine OppewallSound by Steve C AaronCostumes by J R HawbakerStunts by Nick DekayVFX by David Lebensfeld
Box Office
2019 · Box office
Produced on a $10.0M budget
Production budget
$10.0M
Also known as
- Migliori nemiciit
- (English)The Best of Enemies
- (Bulgarian)Най-добрите врагове
Release dates around the world5 countries · showhide
- United StatesApr 5, 2019
- CanadaApr 12, 2019
- MexicoJul 2, 2019
- SingaporeJul 2, 2019
- AustraliaJul 25, 2019
Production & Distribution
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Cast & Crew
396 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Nick Searcy
as Garland Keith
Bruce Mcgill
as Carvie Oldham
John Gallagher Jr
as Lee Tromblay
Nicholas Logan
as Wiley Yates
Gilbert Glenn Brown
as Howard Clement
Taraji P Henson
as Ann Atwater
Sam Rockwell
as C.P. Ellis
Babou Ceesay
as Bill Riddick
Anne Heche
as Mary Ellis
Wes Bentley
as Floyd Kelly
Caitlin Mehner
as Maddy Mays
Dolan Wilson
as Councilman Bill Atkins
Supporting cast
98Morgan Mackey
as Young Mother
Kendall Ryan Sanders
as Ben Butler
Christopher Cavalier
as Leonard
Malerie Grady
as Singing White Woman
Ryan Dinning
as Jeb
Najah Jackson
as Operation Breakthrough Staffer
Bethany Dezelle
as Court Clerk
David Plunkett
as Mr. Paulsen
Al Hamacher
as Charles Steele
Mckenzie Applegate
as Vickie Ellis
Brody Rose
as Timmy Ellis
Carson Holmes
as Kenneth Ellis
Nadej K Bailey
as Marilynn Atwater
Kevin Iannucci
as Larry Ellis
Susan Savoie
as Nurse Caitlin
Lucius Baston
as Teacher
Jeanette Branch
as Principal
Jessica Miesel
as Doreen (Waitress)
Rachel Bagley
as Local Reporter
Charles Orr
as NAACP Lawyer
Tim Ware
as Judge Leslie Hallford
Jill Jane Clements
as Secretary
Ned Vaughn
as Wilbur Hobby
Dawntavia Marrero
as Delores Riddick
Sope Aluko
as Henrietta Kaye
Coley Campany
as Charrette Volunteer #1
Elizabeth Omilami
as Marion Wilson
Arin Logan
as Peggy
Kameron Kierce
as Miles
Charles Black
as Reverend Joseph
Aaron K Smalls
as Archie Cox
Hope Leigh
as Charrette Volunteer #2
Bart Hansard
as Horace Bray
Jeremy Daniel Madden
as Boone Ewell
Morgan Brown
as Sam Watford
Robert Harvey
as Earl Weeks
Cranston Johnson
as Emmett
Afemo Omilami
as Franklin Mose
Jack Montague
as Alvin
Chante Bowser
as Nurse Bernadette
Rhoda Griffis
as Nurse Whitney
Wilbur Fitzgerald
as Fire Safety Inspector
Shane Jackson
as Robert Jones
Chanel Young
as Charrette Secretary
Michael H Cole
as Gas Company Man
Shane Biseell
as Youth Corps Member
Annie Cook
as Mrs. Keith
Rae Olivier
as Caroline Kelly
Lindsey Moser
as Cashier
Lexston Bearss
as Youth Corps
Fred Bobbitt
as Courthouse Visitor, Charette Participant
Jasmine Bolton
as Student
Trent Bounds
as Young Attorney
Anastasia Burnett
as Charrette Member
James Burns
as Councilman
Andrea Antonio Canal
as Charretee Attendee
Timothy Carr
as Police Officer
Lucie Carroll
as Charette
John Collier
as Klansman, Charrette Attendee
Marcy Conway
as Parent
Kyle Crawford
as Charles
Aidan Daly
as Baseball Player
Steven Dutton
as Klansman
Jacob Evans
as Youth Corps
Martin Feigen
as Courthouse Cop
Curtis Gammage
as Parent
Michele Garren
as Parent
Clifford Gay
as Student
Cecil M Henry
as Activist, Volunteer
Thomas Mark Higgins
as Klansman
Maxwell L Highsmith
as Ann's Army, Charrette Member
Jon Horstman
as Kligraph Roy
Lauren Jenkins
as Student
Sierra D Jones
as Student, Protester
Rae Jordan
as Charette, Student
Johnson Joy
as Anne's Army, Charette
Jeffrey Kimble
as Bailiff
Tweed Michael Manning
as Reporter
Brad Markel
as TV Cameraman
Wes Mcgee
as Cyrus (Uniformed Patrolman)
Perla Middleton
as Parent
Timothy D Montjoy
as Bailiff
Devito Parker Jr
as School Kid
Mason Pike
as Klan Member
Michael G Plumides Jr
as Klansman
Letecia Reeder
as Worker
Milton Saul
as Parent, Ann's Army
Jared Sawyer Jr
as Actor
Jennifer Sears
as Protest Staffer
Ashley Shanea
as Protester
Kimberly Shires
as Parent, Charette
Wayne Smith Jr
as Charrette Member
Alyssa Marie Stilwell
as Waitress
Shannon Thomas
as Durham News Reporter
Elizabeth Thorp
as Angry Klan Wife
Joey Thurmond
as Klansman
Ray Torrillo
as Baseball Umpire
Lina Zalewski
as Dive Bar Patron
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
12Fred Bernstein
Producer
Harrison Powell
co-producer
Ian Calip
co-producer
Jeremiah Samuels
executive producer
Joe Guzman
digital intermediate producer
Katherine Soares
visual effects producer: PowerHouse
Matt Berenson
Producer
Matthew Poliquin
executive producer
Rick Jackson
executive producer
Robin Bissell
Producer
Scott Salamon
dailies producer
Tobey Maguire
Producer
Other crew
281Toni Messervey
2nd assistant accountant
Ryan Abrams
a' camera 2nd assistant camera
Amanda Clements
add'l props pa
Midian Crosby
additional costumer
Thomas Kuo
additional dailies film scanner
Nathan Rigaud
additional grip
Timothy P Vaughan
additional grip
Tonya Cryer
additional hair stylist
Brad Markel
additional set production assistant (uncredited)
Gino De Stefano
additional set production assistant (as Gino Destefano Valdivia)
Alex Nomick
additional sound editor
Jessica Pennington
adr loop group
Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
Official ratings
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for The Best of Enemies yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
No trailers logged for The Best of Enemies yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on The Best of Enemies?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on The Best of Enemies.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for The Best of Enemies yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on The Best of EnemiesNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…