THE LEVYS OF MONTICELLO

USA 2021

Director: Steven Pressman

English

72 minutes

Documentary

Monticello, a US National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage site, was the long time and cherished home of Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s Founding Fathers. When Jefferson died in 1826, he left behind a mountain of personal debt, which forced his heirs to sell his beloved Monticello home and all its possessions. The Levys of Monticello tells the astonishing and little-known story of the Levy family, who owned and carefully preserved Monticello for nearly a century – far longer than Jefferson or his descendants.  Through the remarkable story of the Levy family, the film also tells a broader story about racism and anti-Semitism that runs throughout the course of American history, right up to the present day, while also addressing the pivotal role that enslaved people played at Monticello.