Freedom Rides

Freedom Riders Editors Lewis Erskine and Aljernon Tunsil Nominated for 2012 ACE Eddie Awards!

Congrats to Firelight Films' beloved and talented editors Lewis Erskine and Aljernon Tunsil for their nomination for the 62nd Annual American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Awards in the category of "Best Edited Documentary" for the film Freedom Riders. Winners will be revealed during ACE’s black-tie awards ceremony on Saturday, February 18, 2012 in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Click here for more information.

A Word of Thanks from Stanley Nelson

Click here to check out this note of gratitude from our Executive Director, Stanley Nelson. It includes a 2011 Year-in-Review for Firelight.

Freedom Riders Makes New York Times' Top Ten List for 2011

Click here to view today's New York Times article which includes Freedom Riders in critic Mike Hale's top 10 television picks for 2011. Hale wrote: "This beautifully constructed 'American Experience' film revisited the 1961 Freedom Rides, telling stories of ugly violence and unbelievable courage."

The Freedom Rides Aren't Over

1961 Freedom Riders Reverend C.T. Vivian and Catherine Burks-Brooks returned to Montgomery, Alabama this weekend to join the fight to repeal Alabama's tough immigration laws. Read the full article here. To learn more about the 1961 Freedom Rides, check out the award-winning documentary Freedom Riders. To learn more about the battles over immigration, check out the three-part Firelight documentary series: Immigration: Beyond the Headlines. Click here to go to our "Watch Films" page.

Tales from the Bronx - Stanley Nelson Blog October 2011

Recently I was a guest at the Cinema School as part of the Film Forward program with The Sundance Institute. The Cinema School is a New York City High School in the Bronx that focuses on film studies. It is a very new program, and at the present time teaches only narrative film, so that as a documentary filmmaker, I was a little apprehensive about my trip.

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Civil Rights Legend Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth Dies at Age 89

The Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, one of the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, died yesterday at the age of 89. Representative John Lewis called him the "soul and heart of the Birmingham movement" for his courage to lead a movement for racial justice and civil rights amidst horrific violence and multiple assassination attempts. Shuttlesworth also actively supported the 1961 Freedom Riders when they came to Birmingham. Shuttlesworth declared the Freedom Rides, "the greatest thing to ever happen to Alabama." For more on this icon and the Freedom Rides, go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/people/fred-shuttlesworth and definitely check out today's The Root.com article by Charles E. Cobb jr.

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Freedom Riders Campaign Hits The Streets

The FREEDOM RIDERS Community Engagement Campaign is Off to a Great Start!

In May, Firelight Media launched our yearlong effort to help organizations around the country use the film Freedom Riders to engage young people. These organizations are exploring the lessons of the Rides and using those lessons to inform their work on contemporary issues such as disproportionate sentencing, immigrant rights, youth violence and environmental justice. Read more

FREEDOM RIDERS is TRUTHOUT's Progressive Pick of the Week

Earlier today, Truthoutnamed Freedom Riders its "Progressive Pick of the Week" and reprinted an interview with Director Stanley Nelson originally done by American Experience. Thanks to Truthout for the shout out and your support of Firelight Films. Check out the article here: http://www.truth-out.org/ordinary-people-making-great-changes-interview-freedom-riders-director-stanley-nelson/1309189357

Freedom Rider Ben Cox Dies

Freedom Rider Benjamin Elton Cox dies at the age of 79. Cox was a member of the first wave of Freedom Riders in the 1961 challenge to Jim Crow jump-started by the Congress for Racial Equality. He is remembered as civil rights hero and crusader. Click here to read article in the Jackson Sun. Check out Lauren Prestileo's tribute to him and read his bio on American Experience's website. May he rest in peace.
Photo: Benjamin Cox
Photo Credit: Jackson Sun

Did You Miss the Live Chat with Stanley Nelson? Check out the Transcript

On Tuesday, May 17th, American Experience sponsored a live chat event with Stanley Nelson, Director of the powerful new documentary Freedom Riders.  To read a transcript of the chat, go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/about/chat