# Ruby Bridges (film) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruby_Bridges_(film) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruby_Bridges_(film).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Bridges_(film) > Source revision: 1339240886 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1998 television film Ruby Bridges Genre Drama Written by Toni Ann Johnson Directed by Euzhan Palcy Starring Chaz Monet Penelope Ann Miller Kevin Pollak Michael Beach Music by Patrice Rushen Country of origin United States Original language English Production Producer Ann Hopkins Cinematography John Simmons Editor Paul LaMastra Running time 96 min. Production companies Marian Rees Associates Walt Disney Television Original release Network ABC Release January 18, 1998 (1998-01-18) ***Ruby Bridges*** is a 1998 American [television film](/source/Television_film), written by [Toni Ann Johnson](/source/Toni_Ann_Johnson), directed by [Euzhan Palcy](/source/Euzhan_Palcy) and based on the true story of [Ruby Bridges](/source/Ruby_Bridges), one of the first black students to attend integrated schools in [New Orleans, Louisiana](/source/New_Orleans%2C_Louisiana), in 1960. The film premiered on [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) on January 18, 1998. As a six-year-old, Bridges was one of four black first-graders, selected on the basis of test scores, to attend previously all-white public schools in New Orleans. Three students were sent to McDonogh 19, and Ruby was the only black child to be sent to [William Frantz Elementary School](/source/William_Frantz_Elementary_School). It is currently available for streaming on [Disney+](/source/Disney%2B). ## Plot *Ruby Bridges* tells the story of how a six-year-old Black girl integrated a New Orleans segregated school in 1960. Ruby did not achieve this feat alone – there was the [NAACP](/source/NAACP) that chose her; four US Marshals who kept back the angry mob of haters bent on lynching her; [Barbara Henry](/source/Barbara_Henry), a kind-hearted White teacher who pushed back against her racist superiors and coworkers; [Robert Coles](/source/Robert_Coles_(psychiatrist)), a famous psychiatrist to help her with the stress, and his wife Jane; and, most of all, her courageous mother, who shared the deep faith that gave the girl the strength to persist in spite of the hatred around her and of her father who initially doubted that her daughter should bear being persecuted by segregationists. ## Cast - Chaz Monet as [Ruby Bridges](/source/Ruby_Bridges) - [Penelope Ann Miller](/source/Penelope_Ann_Miller) as [Barbara Henry](/source/Barbara_Henry) - [Kevin Pollak](/source/Kevin_Pollak) as [Dr. Robert Coles](/source/Robert_Coles_(psychiatrist)) - [Diana Scarwid](/source/Diana_Scarwid) as Miss Woodmere - [Lela Rochon](/source/Lela_Rochon) as Lucielle "Lucy" Bridges - [Michael Beach](/source/Michael_Beach) as Abon Bridges - [Jean Louisa Kelly](/source/Jean_Louisa_Kelly) as Jane Coles - [Peter Francis James](/source/Peter_Francis_James) as Dr. Broyard - [Patrika Darbo](/source/Patrika_Darbo) as Miss Spencer - [Toni Ann Johnson](/source/Toni_Ann_Johnson) as Alma Broyard ## Reception The film holds a score of 83% on [review aggregator](/source/Review_aggregator) website [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes), based on 6 reviews with an average rating of 6.6/10.[1] The film was nominated for several awards, including an [NAACP Image Award](/source/NAACP_Image_Award). The writer, Toni Ann Johnson, won the 1998 [Humanitas](/source/Humanitas) Prize for her teleplay. The film also won [The Christopher Award](/source/Christopher_Award). In 2023, the film was the subject of a complaint brought by a [Florida](/source/Florida) parent who claimed that the film is not appropriate for school second-graders in because it might teach them that "white people hate Black people".[2] A potential decision to ban the film was not upheld by a committee of teachers, parents, community members and a library media technology specialist after watching the film and reviewing the objection form, as well as the school district policy.[3][4][5] ## See also - [Civil rights movement in popular culture](/source/Civil_rights_movement_in_popular_culture) - *[The Problem We All Live With](/source/The_Problem_We_All_Live_With)*, 1964 painting ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Ruby Bridges"](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ruby_bridges). *[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)*. [Fandango Media](/source/Fandango_Media). Retrieved June 16, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Helmore, Edward (March 28, 2023). ["Florida school pulls anti-racism film Ruby Bridges after parent complaint"](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/28/ruby-bridges-florida-school-anti-racism-film-parent-complaint). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved March 29, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Gamble, Justin; Nicole Chavez (April 4, 2023). ["Review board allows Ruby Bridges movie to be shown at elementary school after parent complaint"](https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/04/us/ruby-bridges-movie-review-pinellas-florida/index.html). *[CNN](/source/CNN)*. Retrieved April 16, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Abramovitch, Seth (March 14, 2023). ["'Ruby Bridges' Director Euzhan Palcy Reacts to Reversal of Florida School Ban: 'A Victory for Hope'"](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ruby-bridges-director-euzhan-palcy-florida-ban-reversal-1235375316/). *Ghe Hollywood Reporter*. Retrieved April 16, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Blanchet, Ben (April 15, 2023). ["'Ruby Bridges' Director Thanks Florida Teachers For Voting Down Potential Ban"](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ruby-bridges-director-thanks-florida-teachers-for-voting-down-potential-ban_n_643a4393e4b05765f3821c13). *Huffington Post*. Retrieved April 16, 2023. ## External links - [*Ruby Bridges*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138068/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [Rated 83% on Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ruby_bridges) - [5 star rated on Visual Parables](https://readthespirit.com/visual-parables/ruby-bridges-1998/), a "resource for faith-and-film reviews and study guides" v t e Films directed by Euzhan Palcy Sugar Cane Alley (1983) A Dry White Season (1989) Siméon (1992) Aimé Césaire: A Voice for History (1994) Ruby Bridges (1998) The Killing Yard (2001) Parcours de dissidents (2006) The Brides of Bourbon Island (2007) This article about a biographical film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Bio-film-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3ABio-film-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Bio-film-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ruby Bridges (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Bridges_(film)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Bridges_(film)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.