The Louisville-produced documentary "City of Ali" examines Muhammad Ali's deep connection to Louisville and chronicles the global celebration of his life that took place following his death in 2016.
The film offers a local perspective on Ali’s evolution from an aspiring boxer who faced racial segregation in his hometown to a global icon who was once banned from his sport for his stance on the Vietnam War.
Yet on the day of Ali’s funeral, more than 100,000 people lined the streets of Louisville to celebrate his life and an estimated global audience of one billion people watched his hometown and the world say good-bye to The Greatest.
Ali’s life and legacy embody the 34th World History Association's conference themes of protest, prohibition, and pugilism. "City of Ali" features insights from local and national scholars, journalists and historians including Pulitzer Prize-winners Doris Kearns Goodwin and David Maraniss.
This session will feature an introduction by "City of Ali" director Graham Shelby, who will also take questions afterward and discuss how the city of Louisville responded to the sudden influx of diverse groups of people who gathered here to pay their respects to Muhammad Ali.
"City of Ali" premiered in 2021 and has an 88 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has aired over 400 times on PBS stations nationwide and is featured on Delta Air Lines and Prime, AppleTV, Tubi and other streaming services.
The U.S. Department of State selected "City of Ali" for inclusion in the American Film Showcase and other cultural diplomacy programs and the film has been screened in the UK, France, Colombia, Nigeria, the UAE, and many other countries in multiple languages.
Curriculum guides to the film are available for classroom instructors at cityofali.com.

This is a companion session to the screening of "City of Ali," a documentary that explores Muhammad Ali's roots in Louisville and chronicles the historic celebration of his life that took place in the city following his death in 2016. The film offers a local perspective on Ali’s evolution from an aspiring boxer who faced racial segregation in his hometown to a global icon who was once banned from his sport for his stance on the Vietnam War.
Yet on the day of Ali’s funeral, more than 100,000 people lined the streets of Louisville to celebrate his life and an estimated global audience of one billion people watched his hometown and the world say good-bye to The Greatest.
Released in 2021, the film has aired more than 400 times on PBS stations nationwide, and been screened in more than 25 countries by the U.S. Department of State through its global cultural diplomacy programs.
Director Graham Shelby will share clips from the film and lead a panel discussion with local voices who talk about the legacy of Ali, and of a singular moment in Louisville’s history that came to be known in Louisville as "Ali Week" - the seven days between Ali's passing and his funeral. That's when diverse groups of people from across the city put aside political, social and religious tensions to join in common purpose and pay their respects to The Champ. As one of the interviewees says in the film, “I know what America can be. I saw it that week (in Louisville).” And as another says, “There was a sense of peace over the city that entire week. Why can’t we do that every day?”