In other anniversary news, more and more folks working on documentary films as the 25th anniversary of the Faulkner fatal shooting approaches this December.

From Philadelphia City Paper:

Shame of the City II: Mumia Returns

Wynnefield filmmaker Tigre Hill is in preproduction on a documentary examining what happened at 13th and Locust streets on Dec. 9, 1981, when Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner was shot and killed by Mumia Abu-Jamal .

Hill has tackled controversial topics before. His last documentary, Shame of a City, chronicled the 2003 mayoral race between Democratic Mayor John Street and Republican challenger Sam Katz . It followed the campaign through the FBI bug found in the mayor’s office and the convictions of Street fundraiser Ron White and City Treasurer Corey Kemp .

In his new project, with a working title of 13th and Locust, Hill said he wants to show what really happened that night and explore the international Abu-Jamal phenomenon.

He expects to conduct extensive interviews with numerous subjects from both the Faulkner and Abu-Jamal sides.

“What I really want is to interview Abu-Jamal’s brother,” said Hill, “because I don’t think he has ever testified.” He declined to say if he was taking a position on Abu-Jamal’s guilt, and has no plans to try to interview Abu-Jamal, aka Wesley Cook , who was convicted of fatally shooting Faulkner in the face after the officer had stopped his younger brother for a traffic citation.

The Free Mumia movement grew out of supporters who claim Abu-Jamal was framed; two out of the four witnesses on the street, who identified Abu-Jamal as the killer, later changed their statements, and the gun found near the scene was never confirmed to be the murder weapon. Abu-Jamal never testified at his own trial, maintaining he had inadequate legal representation. A jury convicted Abu-Jamal and he was sent to death row. Then, a district judge overturned Abu-Jamal’s death sentence in 2001 because of discrepancies during the trial. There was no new trial, but the prosecution appealed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the death penalty. If that effort is successful, Gov. Ed Rendell , who was district attorney at the time of the murder, would have to sign Abu-Jamal’s death warrant.

Hill said a main component of the film will be the number of organizations and individuals who rallied around Abu-Jamal. With supporters contending Abu-Jamal never got a fair trial and that he was set up by “the white man,” he’s become the poster boy for political prisoners and those that oppose the death penalty.

In April, a street in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis was named after Abu-Jamal, causing a stir here. Yesterday, at 15th and Cherry streets, a large rally was scheduled for the American Friends Service Committee to welcome a French delegation that intends to defend the street naming.

Hill said he is not concerned that there have been several documentaries about Abu-Jamal over the years, such as The Framing of an Execution in 2001 narrated by Danny Glover . Hill said that film was biased and only showed one point of view.

Meanwhile, I mentioned here previously about some documentary filmmakers from the other side of the pond who are here doing a documentary about a young activist who was born the night of the Faulkner shooting. Here is a profile of one of them. The story mentions the film.

While you’re at it, check out the new CD “Who Is Mumia Abu-Jamal?” by Nex Millen/Retrospective. The debut work takes Abu-Jamal’s audio essays from 1993 to 1996 and places them in musical perspective, using great beats and melodies. The recorded asides—exiled Black Panther Assata Shakur and the late poet/activist Allen Ginsberg calls for support—are also well-produced. Shakur’s music, in particular, is the correct combination of beauty (of Abu-Jamal’s writing) and tragedy (of his confinement). Longtime listeners will find that Millen’s music adds greatly, making the essays (“Death is a campaign poster, a stepping stone to public office”) new to the ear. The unfamiliar will be doubly hypnotized as Abu-Jamal explains how racism and capitalism combine to oppress groups and individuals.