Filmmaker Jordan Flaherty Explores Racial and Economic Justice Issues in New Documentary Series
New York, NY – The murder of Freddie Gray while in police custody ignited the Baltimore Uprising in April. A new film uncovers deep-rooted economic issues that triggered thousands of frustrated residents to take to the streets. The documentary is part of a new series exploring racial and economic justice issues, produced for “The Laura Flanders Show,” and airing on TV stations across the US on Link TV and internationally on the TeleSUR News Network.
In the 20-minute documentary, “Baltimore: A Moment to a Movement,” award-winning journalist and filmmaker Jordan Flaherty looks beyond police brutality to unearth oppressive conditions that fueled the mass protests. Personal stories from Baltimore activists working on the front lines of the struggle reveal to viewers how homelessness, unemployment, economic inequality and despair caused residents to rebel once the news of Gray’s death went viral.
“Baltimore: A Moment to a Movement” is already receiving rave reviews. Baltimore Sun TV reviewer David Zurawik calls the film “compelling and well reported.” He writes, “The point of view of the camera is street level – first filming the marchers coming toward it, and then joining the group and filming from within. It could be read as a visual statement of solidarity.”
“We found that these protests are about more than one city, and more than one issue – this is a national movement that continues to grow,” said Flaherty. “The murder of Freddie Gray was the spark but it’s the underlying systemic issues that catapulted it from a moment to a movement. He adds, “In New Orleans, we found the same issues we saw when we reported from Baltimore and Ferguson.”
The second film in the series, to be released in August, explores major systemic changes in New Orleans. The film focuses on issues shaped by race, class and gender, ten years after the devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to directing films for a range of outlets, Flaherty is a journalist, producer, and author. His print stories have been featured in dozens of publications, from the New York Times, Washington Post, and Agence France Presse to various publications around the world. Flaherty has appeared as a guest commentator on CNN Headline News, Anderson Cooper 360, and News and Notes on NPR. The first journalist to bring the case of the Jena Six to a national audience, Flaherty’s most recent book is “Floodlines: Community and Resistance From Katrina to the Jena Six.”
Hosted by best-selling author and broadcaster Laura Flanders, “The Laura Flanders Show” has covered economic justice, racial justice, and gender issues for over ten years. The show has reported on the Black Lives Matter movement since the first days. The show made headlines last year when it featured political philosopher Noam Chomsky’s response to the murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, and more recently when the show featured Cornel West’s first response to criticism focused on him by Michael Eric Dyson.
“The Laura Flanders Show” is syndicated globally on Link TV, Manhattan News Network and online on GRITtv.org, TeleSUR (English and Spanish), and MSN.com. For more information, or to view the film visit www.grittv.org.
NOTE TO MEDIA: Jordan Flaherty is available for interview and commentary contact Edrea via edmedia@dogonvillage.com.