Hello, Washington DC. Death & Taxes is screening in your town tomorrow. One of the things I liked most about working on this film is the conversations it provoked in my life during the edit. Now you can have that experience, too...
I went to dip my toe in the five hours of My Undesirable Friends… and then stayed for the whole thing just because it was so, so riveting. Wow. I remember asking in grad school if it ever made sense to use a jump cut — and the answer was something like “well, if you think you’re Godard…” — At film forum yesterday, I got a better, five-hour answer to that question. I ♥️ documentary.
I've been a part of the growing team behind the Harlan Joseph Peace Park since... wow, 2018. But it's starting to feel more and more possible. Trenton's National Night Out felt like a big moment for us. Thanks to the Trenton Rescue Mission's annual barbecue we were all able to canvas neighbors about their wishes for a park and talk about how the community-based design process might work. I should know this from working in non-fiction... but things get complicated when you start talking to real humans!! Complicated, and so much more fun and interesting than one could ever imagine... Thanks to everyone who participated... and... onward!!
Last night proved again that the archives live in the past, but we relate to them in the now. Artists, historians, and film participants gathered -- so generously, thank you -- to help me explore the idea that filmmaking, especially about cities, can be collective and communal and social. Thanks to Artworks Trenton for the space, Frankye's Restaurant for the sustenance, and everyone in the room for the courage to shape something together. And laugh along the way.
A clip from @deathandtaxesfilm . Taxes pay for the things we all need... but who should pay? Professor Darrick Hamilton from the New School and Felicia Wong President of the Roosevelt Foundation. Music by @bobby___johnston #taxes #docnyc #darrickhamilton #grovernorquist
This was a welcome surprise: Yesterday I was given the assignment of talking to @sadiashepard class, “Collaborative Documentary”, about taking my own project from production to post. I was excited to talk about the nerdy details of the process. But ambivalent about pressing play on my own messy work-in-progress. But I did (‘cause you have to) and when I saw my wonderful film participants on the big screen — and the oh-so-satisfying cinematography of @andreasburgess — I didn’t want to stop! Thank you Wesleyan Film 104 for putting the wind in my sails and making me excited to dive back into the edit! You are more collaborative than you know.
A fascinating, fun, and challenging edit has become a film! I really loved this collaboration with director Justin Schein, producer Bob Edwards and co-editor Brian Redondo. Death & Taxes premieres on November 17th at the IFC in NYC. And screens again on the 18th. I would love to see you there and hear what you think! It’s a very personal take on what I think is an important public conversation. @deathandtaxesfilm
The new poster for DEATH & TAXES designed by @michael_mysh_rozanov . The film will have its World Premiere at @docnycfest on November 17 and 18th 2024. /film/death-taxes/
#documentary #taxes #docnyc
What can we learn about migration by studying the close ties between two small cities? What can we learn about documentary by using it to fuel a larger and deeper community conversation? And... can we just please take a moment to thank and celebrate everyone who has made this work possible?! The answer to that last question is YES, and that moment is Saturday, November 11th in the afternoon. I hope you can join!!
In April of 1968, Governor Richard Hughes, Mayor Carmen Armenti and the Assemblyman, Reverend S. Howard Woodson walked to the door of the Joseph-Killingsworth home on Carroll Street in Trenton to offer condolences to Mrs. Dorothy Killingsworth and her family for the police killing of her son, 19-year-old Harlan Bruce Joseph, on April 9th. Mayor Armenti knew Bruce personally, having appointed him to the Mayor's Youth Council. Bruce was a sophomore at Lincoln University, home for Easter vacation. As Joseph’s family has recounted in interviews, that meeting with Hughes, Armenti, and Woodson was difficult. But it was also an important acknowledgment. That day, when the governor asked Mrs. Killingsworth how he could help, she said she hoped her son's name would be cleared of unfounded accusations of wrongdoing. Over the decades, when reporters visited her on the anniversary of her son's death, Dorothy Killingsworth held a portrait of Bruce, and reminded Trenton of her hopes that Harlan Bruce Joseph's treasured memory would be recognized.
The Trenton Project has just learned that tomorrow the City of Trenton is unveiling a historical marker memorializing the events of April 1968. As historians, filmmakers, students, and scholars here at The Trenton Project, we'd like to spread the word about the event. We'll be there in solidarity with Bruce's family and friends. The event is at 10AM (N Broad & E Hanover) and is open to the public.
