Let the Fire Burn

Synopsis

On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia police dropped two pounds of military explosives onto a city row house occupied by the radical group MOVE. The resulting fire was not fought for over an hour although firefighters were on the scene with water cannons in place. Five children and six adults were killed and sixty-one homes were destroyed by the six-alarm blaze, one of the largest in the city’s history. This dramatic tragedy unfolds through an extraordinary visual record previously withheld from the public. It is a graphic illustration of how prejudice, intolerance and fear can lead to unthinkable acts of violence.

Director Biography

Jason Osder is assistant professor at The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs and president of Amigo Media, a postproduction boutique and consultancy. He is co-author of Final Cut Pro Workflows: The Independent Studio Handbook, with Robbie Carman, his partner at Amigo. He holds a master’s degree in documentary from the University of Florida and Let the Fire Burn is his first feature film.