The Free State of Jones

Adding further controversy to the legend is the story of Newt Knight's interracial romance with his accomplice, Rachel, a slave. From their relationship there developed a mixed-race community that endured long after the Civil War had ended, and the ambiguous racial identity of their descendants confounded the rules of segregated Mississippi well into the twentieth century. The film The Free State of Jones, starring Matthew McConaughey as Newton Knight and directed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit) is releasing in cinemas worldwide in May 2016.