William Foster, the captain, burned the ship and tried to destroy any traces of evidence pertaining to this illegal expedition.

The wreckage of the Clotilda was found in 2019 in the Mobile River of Alabama, and this film explores the community of Africatown and the descendants of some of the last known enslaved Africans that were brought to the United States aboard her 40 years after slave trading had already been deemed a capital offense.

After the wreckage of the Clotilda was discovered, director Margaret Brown spent four years with the residents of Africatown examining how the discovery impacted the lives of descendants of the last known slaves brought to the US.

Brown also produced the film alongside Kyle Martin and Essie Chambers for Participant and Take One Five Entertainment.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Descendant serves as a fantastically compelling example of how history can be reclaimed -- and a stirring tribute to a resilient community.