New British Film About Mumia Showing Friday at CR10

This is the first west-coast showing of the movie, and there may not be another for a while, so if you have a chance check this out!

For more on IN PRISON, check out my 2 recent interviews with the film makers:

Livia Firth: http://insubordination.blogspot.com/2008/09/interview-new-british-film-about-mumia.html


William Francome: http://insubordination.blogspot.com/2007/10/in-prison-my-whole-life-interview-with.html


Then, after watching the movie, there are a couple CR10 workshops with Pam and Ramona Africa

Join with other members of the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, as well as Pam Africa and Ramona Africa from International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, in a panel discussion/workshop entitled "Prospects for Mumia's Freedom!" on Friday, September 26 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm.

Pam and Ramona are also leading a workshop entitled MOVE 9: Taking on Parole Boards, which takes place on Saturday, September 27 from 2:00 to 3:30pm.


For the first time since the film's US Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last January, "In Prison My Whole Life" will be shown to a US audience. This new film about the internationally renowned death-row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal will be shown this week at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York City. The film has two different screenings, both at the AMC Loews 34th Street Theatre: Thursday, Sept 11, 1:45pm, at Theatre # 11 and on Saturday, Sept 13, 6:15pm, at Theatre # 9. In Prison is also being shown at the CR10 Conference in Oakland, CA, on September 26.


This new British documentary premiered at the prestigious London Film Festival and at Rome's International Film Festivals on October 25, 2007, at which point I interviewed William Francome, who is a central character in the film. The film's trailer begins with Francome, explaining that he's "been aware of Mumia for as long as I can remember. That’s because he was arrested on the night I was born, for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer. As my mom would often remind me, every birthday I had, has been another year that Mumia has spent in prison.... I am going on a journey to find out about the man who has been in prison my whole life."


With the acclaimed British actor Colin Firth as an executive producer, "In Prison My Whole Life" is directed by Marc Evans and produced by Livia Giuggioli Firth and Nick Goodwin Self. The film has interviews with such figures as Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, Ramona Africa, and musicians Mos Def, Snoop Dogg and Steve Earle. Amnesty International concluded in a previous report that Abu-Jamal's original 1982 trial was unfair, where he was convicted of fatally shooting Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. Amnesty International is supporting In Prison as part of its international campaign to abolish the death penalty. Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen says: "It's shocking that the US justice system has repeatedly failed to address the appalling violation of Mumia Abu-Jamal's fundamental fair trial rights."


In the 2007 interview, Francome disclosed that the film will prominently feature the startling Dec. 9, 1981 crime scene photos that were recently discovered by German author Michael Schiffmann, and are published in his new book.


The July 4, 2008 issue of Abu-Jamal-News revealed that In Prison also features an interview with Abu-Jamal's brother Billy Cook, who was at the scene on Dec. 9, 1981, after Officer Faulkner pulled his car over. The first time he has ever been interviewed on camera, Cook denies the accusation that he struck Faulkner in this face, from which he allegedly instigated the undisputed beating given to him by Faulkner, from which Cooks shows In Prison's interviewers the scars he still has on his head today. Cook says: “They arrested me for assaulting him, but I never laid a hand on him. I was only trying to protect myself. I never hit him. I never hit him.” Cook says that right before he was beaten bloody with the police flashlight, Faulkner “was kind of vulgar and nasty. And if I remember correctly he threw a slur in.... Nigger get back in the car.”


Regarding the assault charges against Cook, and his subsequent trial, Michael Schiffmann defends Cook's account in his recent essay, arguing that there was never any credible evidence that Cook ever struck Faulkner, and also that the prosecution’s two alleged eyewitnesses gave unbelievable accounts of how Abu-Jamal approached Faulkner and allegedly shot him in the back.


In this new interview with co-producer Livia Giuggioli Firth, she talks about when she first learned about Mumia Abu-Jamal, making the film, the new appeal to the US Supreme Court, and more. "I hope Mumia will have a new trial, because has been sitting in solitary confinement for 27 years, and it is a disgrace. We will never know the truth about Dec. 9, 1981 until then," says Firth.


Hans Bennett: When did you first hear of Mumia Abu-Jamal?


Livia Giuggioli Firth: A couple of years ago, at a dinner party at some friends’ house, I met William Francome and we started to chat (as you do at parties!). He told me he just finished college and wanted to make a documentary about Mumia. I’d never heard of him so he explained me who he was. When I got home and googled him... it was like opening Pandora's vase! That was enough to say: we need to dig into this!


HB: What was it like making the film? What role did you play as a producer?


LGF: Marc Evans, the director, is the one who did the film. I produced it - which means my role has been the ball-breaker! But it was very interesting to start the "Mumia quest" from scratch and with folks who had never heard of him. Apart from William, none of us (Marc the director, Colin, Nick and I who produced it, Mags the editor and so on for the whole crew) had any idea of the implications in Mumia's case.


If you detach everything from this "figure" constructed by both Mumia’s supporters and detractors, you just find a man who has been victim of politics more than anything else. This was what really fascinated us all when we approached the subject, and this is why Marc Evans wanted to contextualize Mumia's case within the African American political story. If you do not put Mumia in context - you can not understand this story.


Because the whole scenario around Dec. 9, 1981 was so complicated, distorted, and messed up, we decided to go to Amnesty International--an organization recognized worldwide for being completely objective and impartial--and asked for their guidance. They published a book in 2000 about Mumia's case and concluded that it is impossible to know whether this man is guilty or not because the trail was in violation of international law--a completely unfair trail.


HB: After researching this case, what are 3 facts that you consider most striking regarding the need for a new trial?


LGF: There are so many compelling things about this case that overcome any & all assaults from those who refuse to accept that the core issue here is an unfair trial. Having said this, some examples are:


First, there was no real forensic evidence presented in court. They never officially tested Mumia's hands for traces of gun powder, never officially found the bullet shot through Faulkner’s back, and more. With the discovery of Pedro Polakoff's crime scene photographs, you can clearly see how messed up the crime scene was that night!


Second, the testimonies supporting the prosecution scenario were false - all of them!


Third, the presiding judge, Albert Sabo was heard saying, on the FIRST DAY of the trail, "I am going to help them fry that nigger." Then, shocking us even more, Mumia's 1995-97 PCRA appeal was before this same judge. Are you joking?


HB: Mumia’s current appeal to the Supreme Court will be citing 3rd Circuit Judge Thomas Ambro’s dissenting opinion, which declared that the court had actually created new standards for a Batson claim, when it denied Mumia’s claim. Do you think this strong statement has received adequate coverage in the mainstream media?


LGF: Not really, but again, there are so many awful cases in America like Mumia's. So many innocent people are sentenced after unfair trails. Look at Troy Davis! That is another horrible case.


Hopefully the film will help people to think and realize that maybe there is more to the story. And hopefully it will help other cases too.


You can't dismiss Mumia as a “cop killer". Also, until there is a new trial, you will never know if he really is a "cold blooded monster" as they call him.


HB: Do you think the Supreme Court will now consider Mumia’s case?


LGF: This is a very difficult question. I do not know. It is not very likely, but you never know! If I did not have hope, I would never have produced this movie!


HB: Your film features a new interview with Billy Cook. What do you think is the significance of this interview?


LGF: Well, first of all Billy has never spoken since the night of the shooting. He was not called to testify and "disappeared" after that. So this is the first time he gets to talk about what happened that night. He will not tell the whole story until there is a new trial but he confirmed a few interesting things. You must see the movie!


HB: Anything else to add?


LGF: I hope Mumia will have a new trial, because has been sitting in solitary confinement for 27 years, and it is a disgrace. We will never know the truth about Dec. 9, 1981 until then.

2007 Interview with William Francome

Hans Bennett: What can you tell us about the new crime scene photos discovered by German author Michael Schiffmann, and how they appear in your film?

William Francome: The photos of press photographer Pedro Polakoff feature in the film as well as an interview with him and Michael Schiffmann, the German author who found them.

We had been in contact with Michael from the beginning of this project as he is one of the most knowledgeable people on the case. He had been working on his book 'Race Against Death' when he found a photo online that he realized was not taken by the police at the scene. Somehow (Michael is an amazing investigator) he found Pedro who was a press photographer at the time of the shootings in December of 1981. Pedro had arrived on the scene within minutes and captured much of the initial chaos of the scene.

They are quite amazing photographs as they show the complete lack of professionalism by the police who were faced with the task of preserving the crime scene and any forensic evidence that might be inherent within it. There are pictures of a police officer holding both of the weapons at the scene in one hand without gloves, which would therefore completely contaminate any fingerprints or gun powder residue. They also show the police walking in and out of the scene and show that Officer Faulkner’s hat was moved from photo to photo. I may just be a layman in terms of crime scene maintenance but it seems to me that these are grave and almost criminally negligent mistakes to make. There is also the issue of bullet holes or the lack thereof in the pavement. The photos should show where bullet fragments would have been found in the surrounding cement according to the prosecution witnesses’ account, but this is not the case.

Whether or not these acts were made on purpose remains to be seen, but the photos could have helped clear this case up from the very beginning. Now we are 25 years down the line and we are still asking basic questions of the initial evidence that should not have been left for so long unanswered. Meanwhile, a man is on death row who claims he's innocent and it's been a quarter of a century since a policeman was killed and many feel the killing hasn't been sufficiently solved.

What makes the issue of the photos even more important is that they were purposefully ignored by the prosecution and the District Attorney's Office. Pedro says that he rang them and told them of his photographs and offered them for use in the trial, but that the office never got back to him. It is obvious that the prosecution knew that the photographs of the crime scene could have done their case some damage in court and therefore outright ignored them.

HB: Where does the movie go from here? When can people in the US view it?

WF: The film is about to premiere at the London and Rome film festivals and I'm very happy to say that it's sold out all of its screenings. We are still at the early stages and we have to wait and see if and when it gets taken on by a distributor, what happens next. I'm sure at some point in the near future we'll be screening the film in the US. The film was shot in America and mostly deals with American issues so I look forward to seeing the reaction it gets there. I myself am half American, and spent my teenage years in New York, so I have enjoyed making a film about the country I grew up in as well as having been able to look at it as an outsider.

HB: Why is Mumia's case still so important after 25 years?

WF: I think the fact that Mumia's case is still being debated after twenty five years is an issue in itself. It seems unbelievable to me that you could keep someone in solitary confinement for a quarter of a century as well as having a death sentence hanging over him that whole time. The starting point of this film is that it's been my whole life, and considering all the things that I have done and all the memories I have really helps to put the whole thing in perspective. Try thinking back to what you were doing in 1981 and it might have the same effect. In that time, there have been hundreds of people executed and there are still over 3,000 currently sitting on death row in America. However, despite evidence that people innocent of the crimes they were convicted for have been executed and over 100 people who have been exonerated and released from death row because of new evidence, the death penalty system in America still grinds forward.

After 25 years, the questions of race, cost and inadequate legal representation have yet to be fully and honestly addressed and the issues that caused it to be declared unconstitutional in the 70's persist. In short, as long as there is a death penalty in the United States, Mumia's case and the case of all death row inmates will remain vital and important. People should see this movie because they too seek for answers and honesty from the criminal justice system, and they too, want to gain a greater understanding of the inherent flaws in the death penalty system in the U.S.

Even if people can't relate to the story of Mumia Abu-Jamal or are not affected by it, they might still be able to relate to my story. I think for many people, the journey that I'm going on is enough on its own. This is the story of two lives coming together in a sense, and hopefully it will allow many who have previously been uninterested in the issues surrounding the case to sit up, take notice and find out more on their own. In a ninety minute film, it is hard to comprehensively look into any subject, but you hope that it gives the audience enough to go away and delve further.