Video: A #Ferguson Story – Trailer [#JusticeForMichaelBrown]

It was only a matter of time before we would start seeing the first films about the response in Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting death of Michael Brown.

The images captured the attention of the entire world and brought a whole new wave of political activism, and a sense of urgency, especially to younger people who were, until then, falsely accused of being apathetic to current issues.

Here’s one of the first documentaries about Ferguson, by filmmaker Lonnie Edwards, titled “A Ferguson Story”.

A native of the notorious West Side Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Edwards calls himself “a self-taught director, cinematographer and writer with no formal training,” as well as an installation artist who works in mixed mediums.

His first film, a narrative short titled “Parietal Guidance,” played the film festival circuit last summer, and won several awards, including at the Chicago International Film Fest & New York No Limits Festival.

He is also a company member, playwright and curator at Collaboration Theatre, and a board member, artist and curator at Canvas Collective. If that isn’t enough, he is also a board member of non-profit Austin area based group, Chicago Art Beat Studios, an organization that works with youths suffering from PTSD.

With a “A Ferguson Story,” Edwards says that he was compelled to make it because, “I want the world to realize that the tragic events that transpired brought people together in a way in which we’ve never experienced before”.

He also adds, “I also wanted to bring attention to police aggression and how Ferguson was the pinnacle (in the public’s eye) of police aggression, all eyes were on that case. I just feel as a filmmaker, as an artist, it’s an obligation to create content that the world can see.”

Finally, he says his film is not “a formal documentary.” It is made up of numerous images, soundbites & footage from different media outlets, celebrities news anchors and just ordinary people..

To him, “it represents the amalgamation of the universe, it’s something that I want the viewer to get lost in and have their own perspective but also walk away feeling as if they’ve gotten something out of it. Whether that be motivation to want to make change or gaining knowledge on a subject that you may not even know anything about…At the very least it creates conversations.”

Here’s the trailer:

News source courtesy of Shadow & Act!!!