The City of Philadelphia’s long and bloody conflict with the Move organization, a “radical” back-to-nature group that followed the teachings of John Africa, forms the backdrop to the HBO documentary 40 Years a Prisoner.
In 1978, the Philadelphia Police Department stormed the Move compound with armored vehicles, bulldozers and 600 officers, triggering a gun battle that left one policeman dead. Nine Move members, including Mike Africa and his wife, Debbie Africa, who was eight months pregnant at the time, were arrested. A few weeks after her arrest Debbie gave birth, behind bars, to a boy the couple named Mike Africa Jr.
The documentary, directed by Tommy Oliver, follows Mike Jr on a lifelong journey to win his parents’ freedom and see his family reunited. Mike Jr. never gave up on seeing his mother and father released.
“Unless they were home there was no reason to give up, there was no need to give up,...
In 1978, the Philadelphia Police Department stormed the Move compound with armored vehicles, bulldozers and 600 officers, triggering a gun battle that left one policeman dead. Nine Move members, including Mike Africa and his wife, Debbie Africa, who was eight months pregnant at the time, were arrested. A few weeks after her arrest Debbie gave birth, behind bars, to a boy the couple named Mike Africa Jr.
The documentary, directed by Tommy Oliver, follows Mike Jr on a lifelong journey to win his parents’ freedom and see his family reunited. Mike Jr. never gave up on seeing his mother and father released.
“Unless they were home there was no reason to give up, there was no need to give up,...
- 5/1/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmakers Tommy Oliver and Garrett Bradley each looked at the country’s prison industrial complex through the intimate lens of families affected by decades of incarceration. The Bradley-directed Time (Amazon Prime Video) follows Fox Rich as she fights for the release of her husband, Rob, while he serves a 60-year sentence for a bank robbery. Oliver’s 40 Years a Prisoner (HBO) chronicles the 1978 raid on the Philadelphia-based radical back-to-the-land movement Move and focuses on Mike Africa Jr., whose father and then-pregnant mother were arrested in the raid, and his attempt to exonerate his parents. In a December conversation over ...
- 1/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Filmmakers Tommy Oliver and Garrett Bradley each looked at the country’s prison industrial complex through the intimate lens of families affected by decades of incarceration. The Bradley-directed Time (Amazon Prime Video) follows Fox Rich as she fights for the release of her husband, Rob, while he serves a 60-year sentence for a bank robbery. Oliver’s 40 Years a Prisoner (HBO) chronicles the 1978 raid on the Philadelphia-based radical back-to-the-land movement Move and focuses on Mike Africa Jr., whose father and then-pregnant mother were arrested in the raid, and his attempt to exonerate his parents. In a December conversation over ...
- 1/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“The things move fought against 40 years ago — police brutality, wrongful incarceration, systemic racism — were the same things we were fighting against when I started, and sadly the same things we’re fighting against today,” explains director Tommy Oliver about the modern echoes of his HBO documentary “40 Years a Prisoner,” which premiered December 8. It recounts how the Philadelphia justice system targeted a group of predominantly Black and brown activists in the 1970s. Oliver joined us for our “Meet the Experts” documentary panel to discuss the film. Watch our entire interview above.
The incident at the heart of the story is the 1978 police raid on a house that was the headquarters for the activist group Move. A police officer was killed during the raid, leading to the convictions of nine members of the organization. Oliver focuses on Mike Africa Jr., the son of two of the convicted activists who was actually “born in prison.
The incident at the heart of the story is the 1978 police raid on a house that was the headquarters for the activist group Move. A police officer was killed during the raid, leading to the convictions of nine members of the organization. Oliver focuses on Mike Africa Jr., the son of two of the convicted activists who was actually “born in prison.
- 12/22/2020
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Mike Africa Jr. and Tommy Oliver explained why their new film 40 Years A Prisoner is still relevant today in a new uInterview. The documentary follows Africa Jr.’s more than 25-year-long fight to exonerate his parents after they were arrested in a police raid in 1978 on the activists organization Move’s home in Philadelphia. Police arrested […]
The post Mike Africa Jr. & Tommy Oliver Explain Why ’40 Years A Prisoner’ Resonates With BLM Today appeared first on uInterview.
The post Mike Africa Jr. & Tommy Oliver Explain Why ’40 Years A Prisoner’ Resonates With BLM Today appeared first on uInterview.
- 12/12/2020
- by Marie Fiero
- Uinterview
Mike Africa Jr., the son of two Move members imprisoned for the death of a police officer during a 1978 Philadelphia police raid, spent decades trying to free his parents, a struggle depicted in the documentary “40 Years a Prisoner.” Watch the trailer above.
“When I learned that they were actually in prison, I might have been 13 years old, I started looking for something that would show their innocence,” says Africa Jr. “I wound up doing that for over 25 years.”
The documentary will debut on Tuesday, Dec. 8 on HBO and HBO Max. “40 years a Prisoner” was an official selection and special presentation of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
“40 Years a Prisoner” chronicles the 1978 Philadelphia police raid on the radical back-to-nature group Move and the aftermath that led to a son’s decades-long fight to free his parents. The documentary illuminates the story of a city grappling with racial tension and police brutality...
“When I learned that they were actually in prison, I might have been 13 years old, I started looking for something that would show their innocence,” says Africa Jr. “I wound up doing that for over 25 years.”
The documentary will debut on Tuesday, Dec. 8 on HBO and HBO Max. “40 years a Prisoner” was an official selection and special presentation of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
“40 Years a Prisoner” chronicles the 1978 Philadelphia police raid on the radical back-to-nature group Move and the aftermath that led to a son’s decades-long fight to free his parents. The documentary illuminates the story of a city grappling with racial tension and police brutality...
- 11/16/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
The Film Life Foundation’s inaugural Social Justice Now Film Festival (Sjnff) has unveiled its robust program including its spotlight screenings including the documentaries 40 Years A Prisoner from HBO, Us Kids, and Sncc executive produced by Pharell Williams as well as I Am Other. and the narrative feature Reefa. The fest will also feature the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed Just Mercy and Ryan Coogler’s award-winning Fruitvale Station as opening night films which will screen at Paramount’s Drive-In Theater on Wednesday, October 21. Both films star Michael B. Jordan, who was previously announced as Co-Ambassador alongside Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Opal Tometi. All official selections and spotlight screenings will be available to stream for free on abffplay.com, a new digital platform, powered by Endeavor Streaming from October 21-25.
“Through these films, we hope to advance the dialogue and help to reshape the narrative of racial and social justice in this country.
“Through these films, we hope to advance the dialogue and help to reshape the narrative of racial and social justice in this country.
- 10/12/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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