This film documents a community’s fight for justice and equality in a city that is still dealing with its racist past. The majority of our crew is African-American. It displays our culture and our perspective in front of and behind the camera. We want to create a film that will help create change.

A global spotlight fell on the United States in the Summer of 2019, as the nation held a congressional hearing on reparations for African Americans in Washington, DC. The world watched as historians, writers, scholars, activists, and politicians testified and made the case to create a commission (H.R. 40) to study the effects of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and the continuous mistreatment of African Americans in the United States with the ultimate goal of restitution.

 

One key influencer who testified was economist Dr. Julianne Malveaux. As Dr. Malveaux began to make her statements of the legacy of slavery and segregation, she began to turn her attention to the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. She brought up the fact that even after slavery, Black people became prosperous in cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma and Wilmington, North Carolina. While both were prosperous cities for Blacks during this time, they both experienced the wrath of White supremacy in which racial violence was inflicted upon these communities and changed them both forever. 

 

 

Dr. Malveaux paints the picture of how the Wilmington Massacre of 1898 was the model and prototype for racial terrorism from 1900 to the 1930s. She also urged everyone present and those listening, to watch a great documentary on the Wilmington Massacre called, WILMINGTON ON FIRE.

 

 

 

The first installment of WILMINGTON ON FIRE was a huge success. We’ve had over 500 screenings over the past 4 years throughout the country and have been featured in major media outlets such as The New Yorker, IndieWire and WNYC to also being mentioned during last year’s congressional hearing on reparations in Washington, DC. The film has sparked change not only in Wilmington but throughout the state of North Carolina. All this was possible because of YOU and YOUR SUPPORT and now we need your help again. But this time for WILMINGTON ON FIRE: CHAPTER II.

 

 

WILMINGTON ON FIRE: CHAPTER II will document the lives of several individuals who are working towards making Wilmington what it once was prior to the 1898 massacre. Now with the recent firing of three Wilmington Police Officers over violent and racist language, the spotlight is again on the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina.

 

 

The first installment gave us the history of how we got to the place where we are currently at. WILMINGTON ON FIRE: CHAPTER II will show us how to get out of it and will discuss solutions. The topics that the film will discuss and address will be reparations, activism, entrepreneurship, politics, education, and art and how these things are being used to reverse the lasting effects of white supremacy from the 1898 massacre in Wilmington, North Carolina.

 

 

COVID-19 impacted our production plan earlier this year but we plan on moving forward with production next month. We plan on providing a safe environment for people in front of and behind the camera during our months of production.

Our goal and plan is to film during the months of August 2020 through February 2021. We will then go into the post-production phase from March 2021 through July 2021 and plan on submitting to major film festivals throughout the country with a digital release in February 2022. 

We understand that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to contribute a lot towards any endeavors. That’s why we’re so thankful for any bit of help and your contributions will help us complete production.

 

 

The way we tell this story will be very different from the first WILMINGTON ON FIRE. We will have a more cinematic approach and more of a story-driven / cinema verite style documentary with minimal talking heads.

 

 

 

Some of the creative elements that we will use in the film will be the use of sound, motion graphics, music, and art. Motion graphics will help elevate the archival photos, articles, and documents and will bring them to life on screen. Music will also be a huge component to help set the tone and feel of the overall story and film. Our composer, Matthew Head, is currently working on music for the documentary along with our music supervisor, Sean Washington. Their goal is to craft original songs as well. These three creative elements will help elevate the story and urgency of the film and the subject matter.

Michael S. Williams, one of the top Black art curators in North Carolina, will be assisting with an interactive art exhibition to accompany the film for our community engagement events. The exhibition will tour throughout North Carolina with monthly programming centered around the exhibition, which will include an opening reception, artist talk, spoken word and dance performances, youth workshops, and film screenings of WILMINGTON ON FIRE and WILMINGTON ON FIRE: CHAPTER II. We have commissioned art which is currently being developed. Artwork below is by Anthony Patterson (IG: @signedbyap).

 

 

WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING?

The money that we raise will go towards film crew, camera + lense rentals, and travel. We've stepped our production value A LOT since the last WILMINGTON ON FIRE and we want to give our audience a top notch film production.

 

Our goal is to raise $30K in 30 days but we have stretch goals of $40K and $50K (only if we can reach our goal of $30K first).

 

If we reach our goal, we will be able to get through principal photography. But, we need your help to do so! Check out our awesome incentives (rewards) and become a backer of WILMINGTON ON FIRE: CHAPTER II! Now, lets make a documentary!