By Brittney Dunkins
On May 13, 1985, in an attempt to evict the radical, largely African American group MOVE, Philadelphia police were authorized to drop a bomb on a row home in a residential neighborhood.
As the fire raged, killing 11 people, including five children and destroying 61 homes, firemen on the scene were instructed not to act for almost an hour.
“They made a decision to let the fire burn,” said Jason Osder, an assistant professor in the George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs.
The incident, largely forgotten today, is the chilling center of the history told in Mr. Osder’s documentary “Let the Fire Burn.”
Produced with support from GW, the film is a stark depiction of the events leading up to the bombing, fire and aftermath, communicated exclusively through archival footage, including depositions, city hearings, news reports and footage of Michael Ward, the only surviving child.
“At the crux of the film is the question: How does the unthinkable happen?” he said. “And the moral center of this documentary suggests an answer--that the unthinkable can happen anytime we look upon our fellow person and see anything other than an equal human being first.”
Mr. Osder, a Philadelphia native, was 11 years old at the time of the fire and he remembers the shock of the event vividly.
“In the same way that 9/11 holds significance for a generation, this incident was, for me, the moment when I woke up as a child and realized the world wasn’t always a peaceful place,” he said.
Mr. Osder devotes time to both the MOVE organization and the city officials in the film, showing the fundamental issues that arise when two very different value sets and ways of living are forced to interact.
The footage shows MOVE, originally the “Christian Movement for Life” founded by John Africa, as an organization based on a combination of “back-to-nature” ideals, communal living and an inherent distrust of “the system.”
Growing tensions, including a shootout with police in 1978 and increasingly public demonstrations, raised the organization’s profile from public nuisance to threat, eventually leading to the bombing.
As Mr. Osder entered adulthood, graduating from the New College of Florida and later the documentary program at the University of Florida, the event resurfaced as a potential topic.
“Once I went away to college, I realized this event that had affected me so deeply was outside of the sphere of common knowledge and many people just didn’t know about it,” Mr. Osder said.
He had been working on the film for nearly six years, first independently, but it wasn’t until he joined GW as a faculty member in 2007 that he received the support and access needed to compile the archival footage and finish the film.
It took more than 10 years to complete the project.
GW’s Office of the General Counsel was key in the documentary’s completion, assisting with the procurement of much of the archival footage. Professor and Associate Dean for Research Geralyn Schulz was also integral to the production, offering guidance and a helping hand during the fundraising process.
“I couldn’t have done this without GW,” Mr. Osder said. “Being at GW helped me complete this film -- and helped me become the person who was able to complete this film -- in many ways tangible and intangible.”
The film won the Tribeca Film Festival award for “Best Editing in a Documentary” and received a Special Jury Mention for “Best New Documentary Director” in April.
Mr. Osder was also recently named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by “Filmmaker Magazine.”
“It feels very surreal, but also great for the film to do so well, and that’s really because of what it means for the history,” Mr. Osder said.
The documentary will be released in theaters by Zeitgeist Films in October and will open in D.C. on Dec. 6.
School of Media and Public Affairs students and faculty have the chance to attend a special screening to celebrate the film on Sept. 10 at West End Cinema.
“I often get the chance to speak to students, and I try to show them that beyond the undergraduate experience, universities are where people at all levels come together to execute their biggest goals,” Mr. Osder said. “I stress that, because that was the opportunity I was given.”