(The Assassination of Fred Hampton and Murder of Mark Clark)
Dallas, TX — Mockingbird Films has announced the launch of pre-production of The Black Messiah Murders, a drama/action/suspense whose starring roles are partially cast or presently being cast or negotiated. The film is directed by Lance Flores (U.S.) and Steve O’Brien (24/25 Films, New Castle, England). The film has completed development and has launched a crowd funding campaign to reduce their dependence on traditional film business interests and secure bank funding.Howard Bridges, “We’ve completed the development of The Black Messiah Murders and are now initiating pre-production of the largest independent feature film of this type, subject matter and genre.”
The Black Messiah Murders is a story based on the actual events of J. Edgar Hoover’s “COINTELPRO” operations and the assistant federal attorney that exposed the detail of a government conspiracy. The Counter Intelligence Program mostly targeted groups and individuals deemed by Hoover to be “subversives.” This included individuals associated with Civil Rights Movement, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others associated with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Congress of Racial Equality and other civil rights organizations; black nationalist groups and Fred Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition. The Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., stories have been told; this story awaits its moment for the silver screen.
Bridges continues, “This story is told through a breakthrough screenplay written by Lance Flores, who had known Fred Hampton and had been with him, having driven from San Antonio to Chicago only a couple of months before Fred was murdered.”
Fred Hampton was assassinated during the pre-dawn raid at 2337 W. Monroe St. in west Chicago on December 4th in 1969.
“Lance had been introduced to Fred by the founder of AIM (the American Indian Movement), Russell Means, actor and Native American rights advocate whose organization had joined with Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition. Later in life, Lance would work on Russell’s bid in the Libertarian Party for
Presidential nomination,” said Bridges.
“Years later, he (Flores) would meet Shelly Waxman, the Assistant Federal Attorney in Chicago that was assigned to defend the FBI and William O’Neal (the FBI informant that provided information for the raid) in a civil suit against the government. Waxman uncovered the details of the government plot by the FBI, Illinios State Attorney for Cook County, and the Chicago Police during the discovery process in a lawsuit and refused to cover up the criminal activities of those government officials,” Bridges said.
For more details, visit http://bmm.mockingbirdfilms.com
To help fund the project, visit their IndieGoGo page at http://igg.me/p/919662/
PRESS CONTACT:
Mockingbird Films International
Vicki Clarkson, Exec. Producer, 403-244-9980
Lance Flores, 214-272-0349