Ain't No Back To a Merry-Go-Round

Directed by: Ilana Trachtman Released: 2026 (educational) Year of Production: 2025 Running Time: 89 min Language: English Subtitle Options: English Closed Captions Subjects: Race Power and Privilege, US Studies, Activism, Judaic Studies Link to Study Guide: Link AIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND is the untold story of the first organized interracial civil rights protest in U.S. history. When 5 Howard University students sat on a Maryland carousel in 1960, the arrests made headlines. When the white community near Glen Echo Amusement Park joined the Black students in picketing, an extraordinary history-making partnership was born. The pickets attracted Nazis, a congressman, and a press avalanche. Picketing together over the sweltering summer led to partying together, and union organizers mentored student activists. Ten 1961 Freedom Riders, including Stokely Carmichael, were incubated on the Glen Echo picket line, and the carousel arrests were challenged in the Supreme Court (Griffin v. Maryland, 1964). With never-before-seen footage, and immersive storytelling by Emmy Award-winning director Ilana Trachtman (Praying with Lior, Black in Latin America, The Pursuit), four living protesters rescue this forgotten history, revealing the price, and the power, of heeding the impulse to activism. AIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND includes voiceover by noted actors Jeffrey Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Bob Balaban, Lee Grant, Peter Gallagher, Dominique Thorne, Alysia Reiner and Tracie Thoms. "This is cinematic power" — Spoiler Free Reviews "Eye-opening and profound" – Art New England "Stirring... Enraging... Inspiring" – Baltimore Magazine Awards: Telly Gold Award (Documentary) Best Documentary Feature at the DC Black Film Festival Best Documentary at the San Antonio Black International Film Festival The Audience Award at the Boston Jewish Film Festival The Women in Film Award at the St. Louis International Film Festival The Juror’s Building Bridges Award at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Major Festival Selections: Maryland Film Festival (World Premiere) DC/DOX Film Festival Charlotte Black Film Festival San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Kotka Human Rights Film Festival (Finland) Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival JXJ Washington Jewish Film Festival Red Rock Film Festival Gary International Black Film Festival Teaneck International Film Festival Boston Jewish Film Festival St. Louis International Film Festival African Diaspora International Film Festival (NYC) Hamptons Doc Fest New York Jewish Film Festival San Diego Black Film Festival San Diego International Jewish Film Festival Portland Jewish Film Festival Cleveland Jewish Film Festival East Bay International Jewish Film Festival Boca International Jewish Film Festival Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Sarasota Film Festival JFilm Pittsburgh Long Island Jewish Film Festival “Ain’t No Back To a Merry-Go-Round is a superb documentary that highlights the heroic effort of a group of predominantly Jewish Americans and mostly black students from Howard University to integrate an amusement park in Glen Echo, Maryland. This little-known chapter in American history demonstrates the pivotal role those ordinary citizens played in the struggle for racial justice.” — Dr. Clarence Taylor, Professor Emeritus Baruch College and The Graduate Center City University of New York “...we are engaging in a national project of racial reckoning. Uncovering the legacy of Black activism at Glen Echo ... fits well into this larger project. The film... will be invaluable in educating a public nostalgic about traditional amusement parks while largely ignoring their racial past.” — Victoria W. Wolcott, Professor, Department of History, University at Buffalo "This documentary around a lesser known campaign in the civil rights movement is more relevant today than ever before. It shows solidarity in action and helps us understand how local struggles that build on community can have a huge impact" — Dana R. Fisher, Director, Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor, American University "Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round was a transformative centerpiece of our 2025 Juneteenth Celebration. The film’s emotional depth and historical insight sparked powerful conversations and left a lasting impact on our audience. It was an unforgettable experience that helped us honor the spirit of Juneteenth in every way." — Ayanna Khan, President, Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce “This is one of the best, most compelling, and well-done documentaries I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. It is required viewing in these challenging times.” —Mondaire Jones, Former Congressman, Member of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and CNN Contributor "Ain't No Back to the Merry-Go-Round is a must-see documentary because of its historical and contemporary implications. The documentary shows the power of people uniting against hate to forge equality... Students, parents, and school system employees need to see it so they can understand... how individuals put aside their differences to help create a world in which everyone's humanity is respected." —Tracy Oliver-Gary, K-12 Social Studies Supervisor, Montgomery County Public Schools About the filmmaker llana Trachtman is an Emmy award-winning documentary director/producer. For over twenty-five years, she has created programs for numerous networks including PBS, HBO Family, ABC-TV, Showtime, Discovery, Lifetime, and the Sundance Channel. llana believes that true stories, carefully told, have unique power to inspire compassion, action, and community-building. Her topics have ranged from the legacy of slavery in Latin America (Black in Latin America with Henry Louis Gates, PBS) to Gulf coast shrimpers (Our Heroes, Ourselves, Lifetime), glassblowing for at-risk youth (The Arts Advantage, ABC-TV) to transgender parents (The Pursuit, PBS.) Other favorite prime-time directing credits include the independent feature Mariachi High and Texas Ranch House. llana supervised production on PBS' History Detectives and Sundance’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet. Through her production company Ruby Pictures, Ilana made the feature documentary Praying with Lior which played theatrically in over 60 cities in the US and abroad. The film garnered 6 Audience Awards for Best Documentary, the Grand Prix at the International Disability Film Festival in Moscow, and was a critic's pick of the New York Times, New York Magazine, Washington Post, and Philadelphia Inquirer. Host a Screening and Book the Filmmaker at your Event