LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Documentaries about feminist leader and politician Bella Abzug and a deadly 1985 Philadelphia police bombing are the winners of this year's Library of Congress film prize.
鈥淏ella!鈥� and 鈥淧hilly on Fire鈥� were selected by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and veteran documentarian Ken Burns, the latter among those for whom the prize is named. It's the first time that two films were chosen for the award, which is in its fourth year.
鈥淭hey were both spectacular,鈥� Burns said in an interview. He and Hayden, who were tasked with making the final decision after submissions were winnowed down by 鈥渁 couple layers" of judges, realized that they were faced with an impossible decision.
"We couldn't chose one and not the other,鈥� Burns said. Each of the winners announced Tuesday for the Library of Congress Lavine-Ken Burns Prize for Film will receive the full $200,000 grant intended for use in final production and eventual distribution.
鈥淏ella!鈥� is directed by Jeff L. Lieberman ("The Amazing Nina Simone") and chronicles the pioneering Abzug's election to the House of Representatives in 1970 and her fight for women's equality, civil rights and LGBTQ causes. Burns calls it 鈥渙ne of the most energetic and wonderful films.鈥�
鈥淚'm old enough to have followed Bella Abzug through most of her career, and I learned so much about it,鈥� he said.
鈥淧hilly on Fire,鈥� directed by Ross Hockrow and Tommy Walker ("Kaepernick & America"), examines the Philadelphia police attack on the rowhouse headquarters of a Black liberation group, MOVE. Eleven people died, including five children, and some 60 neighborhood homes were destroyed.
It's an 鈥渦rgent and important and timeless film, and so meticulously made and so balanced,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淎n event like this could be easily treated superficially and used as a kind of political or polemical cudgel to beat the audience. And it doesn鈥檛 do that. It does makes the audience a kind of equal partner in the discovery of it."
The Library of Congress prize was established to support documentaries using original research and archival material to 鈥渂ring American history to life.鈥�
Grants of $25,000 will go to four finalists: 鈥淐annabis Buyers Club,鈥� directed by Kip Andersen and Chris O鈥機onnell; 鈥淚magining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting,鈥� directed by Aviva Kempner and Ben West; 鈥淩aymond Lewis: L.A. Legend,鈥� directed by Ryan Polomski with co-director Dean Prator; 鈥淰irgil Thomson: Creating the American Sound,鈥� directed by John Paulson.
The prize is funded by Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine through their nonprofit Crimson Lion Foundation and provided to a nonprofit organization raising funds for Burns' work and in support of future documentarians.
Burns' extensive body of Emmy-winning work as a producer and director includes 鈥淭he Civil War,鈥� 鈥淏enjamin Franklin," 鈥淛ackie Robinson," 鈥淐ountry Music,鈥� 鈥漈he Vietnam War" and the recent 鈥淭he U.S. and the Holocaust."
Lynn Elber, The Associated Press
