Independent film house Big Noise Films is set to premiere their latest project, entitled "Justice On Trial: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal," on September 21 in Philadelphia. The film is a documentary piece examining the life and trial of the former Black Panther.
Mumia Abu-Jamal is the most recognized death row inmate in the world today. In 1982, he was was tried and convicted for the murder of Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. Since then, the Abu-Jamal trial proceedings have come under scrutiny and today his case is one of the most contested legal cases in modern American history. A former Black Panther and now renowned author, his books and writings in venues as diverse as the Yale Law Review, Forbes, Nation and street-papers for the homeless, have led many to hail him “the voice of the voiceless.”
Justice on Trial navigates the tempest of the Abu-Jamal trial by reviewing the known facts of the case. It demonstrates that the major violations in the Abu-Jamal case — judicial bias, prosecutorial misconduct, racial discrimination in jury selection, police corruption and tampering with evidence to obtain a conviction — are not special to this case. Instead, they are commonly practiced within the criminal justice system and account for the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and Latinos in the United States. The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal is a microcosm of greater problems in the criminal justice system in the United States today. The attention that its many violations have received make the Abu-Jamal case one of the most important civil rights cases of our time.
In a related story, Tigre Hill, another indie filmmaker, is releasing his own film about the Daniel Faulkner murder and Mumia's trial on the same day. Hill's film, entitled "Barrel of A Gun," is obviously the counterpoint to "Justice On Trial," focusing not on the alleged conspiracy to frame Mumia but instead on uncovering "'rare new insight' concerning what [Hill] boldly asserts was the premeditated killing of Faulkner," according to a brief write-up on the Official Daniel Faulkner Website.
Watch the official trailers for both films after the stretch and judge for yourself.
STRETCH...
While I certainly feel for the Faulkner family and understand their desire to want someone to hold responsible for Daniel's murder, I just don't think Mumia is the right one. There are just too many inconsistencies in his case and there was entirely too much governmental fuckery goin' on at the time. As Hill allegedly asserts, Daniel Faulkner's killing certainly seems to have been premeditated — the question is, by whom?
If you're not familiar with Mumia, his case or the government's counterintelligence program (COINTELPRO), do the knowledge. You can start here.
Suppliers: EUR Web, Big Noise Films & DanielFaulkner.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments for this post