(WINNER) Lee Roy Chapman vs. The Ghost of Tate Brady
This short documentary covers the fallout from Chapman's 2011 article exposing Tate Brady's Klan ties and role in the 1921 Race Massacre, and the campaign to strip his name from a downtown street.
TIME & LOCATION
Jul 19, 2026, 3:45 PM
3:45pm | Screen 3 | Filmmaker Q&A, Circle Cinema
ABOUT
Short Documentary • 30m • Tulsa, Oklahoma • Screen 3 • English
$5 members, $8 non-members. Includes filmmaker Q&A.
Directed by: Việt H. Nguyễn
In 2011, citizen journalist Lee Roy Chapman published an explosive article exposing Tulsa city founder Tate Brady’s ties to the Ku Klux Klan and his involvement in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Titled The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and the Battle for Greenwood, the piece made international headlines and ignited a fierce public debate about how communities choose to honor their forefathers—and how they confront the darkest chapters of their past. LEE ROY CHAPMAN VS. THE GHOST OF TATE BRADY traces the fallout from that article, following the campaign to remove Brady's name from a downtown street through the perspectives of Chapman's editor, the activists he inspired, and the City Councilor caught between public pressure and political reality. The film also pays tribute to the late Chapman, honoring his legacy as an activist, agitator, and self-described “History Recovery Specialist”—a legacy that would later inspire Lee Raybon, the central character in Sterlin Harjo’s FX noir series The Lowdown.
About the Director
Việt H. Nguyễn is an Emmy award-winning Vietnamese-American filmmaker and documentary photographer. He began his visual arts career as a multimedia specialist for the United States Army Special Operations Command. He served 7 years documenting international coalition operations and producing multimedia content in Iraq, Qatar, South Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
After being discharged from the military, he attended the University of North Carolina–Wilmington and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies and Photography. In 2019, he returned to Tulsa, OK, and has worked on over 40 documentary and narrative films nationwide.
His work explores truth and authenticity through informal yet vivid photography and sincere storytelling. He is also the co-founder of NAM Common, a community project exploring Vietnamese culture, history, and diaspora through curated art and media programming.
Director's Statement
In 2009, I was called away from Oklahoma due to military service, and when I was homesick, “This Land Press” was my connection to what was happening back home. Lee Roy’s Center for Public Secrets segments and articles reminded me of how much I didn’t know about my hometown and how much history was hidden. When I was given the opportunity to expand on Lee Roy’s most impactful work, it felt like I finally came full circle back to the Tulsa I had always wanted to return to. Lee Roy’s stories share an underworld of Tulsa that hides behind its shame instead of reconciling with it. Greenwood’s history is Tulsa history, and to quote Ethan Hawke, “we have to live in a shared truth where we can live in reality, and then we can heal. If we’re not living in the same reality, we can’t heal.” Lee Roy’s work shaped Tulsa’s reality, and it’s time for the rest of Tulsa to face its truth and begin healing. I cannot take credit for this film alone. This would not have been possible without support from the Center for Public Secrets, the past, present, and future staff at This Land Press, and the friends, family, and enemies of Lee Roy Chapman.
CAST & CREW
Việt H. Nguyễn - Director & Editor
Ryan Hugh McGahan - Producer
Joshua Kline - Producer & Writer
Charles Elmore - Cinematography
Stuart Hetherwood - Producer
Whitney Chapman - Producer
KEY CAST
Lee Roy Chapman
Chief Egunwale Amusan
Kristi Williams
Michael Paul Mason
Blake Ewing