WHEN LIBERTY BURNS
USA, 2020, 111 min
Director: Dudley Alexis
Producers: Femi Folami-Browne, Dudley Alexis
Editor: Dudley Alexis
Cinematographer: Dudley Alexis
When Liberty Burns examines the life and the death of Arthur Lee McDuffie, a black insurance executive who died at the hands of Miami’s law enforcement officers in 1980 - long before today’s Black Lives Matter took root. The family man is poignantly remembered by McDuffie’s childhood friends and family members. The film uses first-person accounts from those who were directly involved in the discovery of the criminal behavior and in the prosecution of the law enforcement officers who were subsequently acquitted. Two black women, both closely associated with the offending police force, will have a surprising new take on the 40-year old incident.
Dudley Alexis is an independent filmmaker and visual artist whose passion is bringing to the world little-known facts about his native home of Haiti, while also dispelling misconceptions by shedding light on the richness of Haitian culture, and the African Diaspora experience at large. He uses his art as a tool for social awareness and change.
UP CLOSE Intro by Director Dudley Alexis