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As I explored on C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> earlier this year with articles related to WILL Channel 12<\/strong>, the documentary is a potent way to dramatize stories that can have impact on how viewers relate to their world. Nonfiction films can also provide dynamic records of particular points in history where none might have existed before. We\u2019ve gone over recent programs that WILL has picked up for local broadcast<\/span><\/a> as well as produced in-house to be distributed to fellow PBS<\/strong> stations<\/span><\/a>, their common thread being a universal focus with Midwest roots. Outside of the efforts made by WILL and the University of Illinois<\/strong> branch of the Big Ten Network<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, with occasional special programs appearing on the area\u2019s network affiliates and public access channels, we don\u2019t really see an outpouring of long-form and in-depth content about, well, us<\/em>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear we must look to the independents who take up the slack in their own work when they latch on to local personalities and issues worth an investigation. Today, I\u2019d like to shine the spotlight on the makers of two upcoming films that feature subject matter directly connected to our communities. One is about an unfortunate blight in early 20th century race relations that some would rather forget while others actively remember as a cautionary tale. The other is about an idiosyncratic musician whose shortened time on Earth should be celebrated and distanced from a professional rift that overshadowed his solo career. Both can benefit from your attention and monetary support.<\/p>\n Within the past two weeks, Crowdson Creative Video Production<\/span><\/strong><\/a> in Springfield<\/strong> has released a second teaser trailer and launched a crowdsourcing effort for their long-in-making documentary called WHITE HEAT\/BLACK ASHES<\/strong>. The piece aims to give African-American residents a strong voice in revisiting the city\u2019s \u201crace riot\u201d of August 1908 that sent a shock wave through prior generations of their families and neighbors. The sorry incident, involving thousands of white townspeople inciting mob action against black households and business districts that ended in lynching, death, and property destruction, lead directly to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People<\/strong> (NAACP) and its ongoing fight for the civil rights of African Americans. If the social media quotes in that trailer are any indication<\/span><\/a>, an updated reflection on the riot is sorely needed as some folks have yet to truly comprehend how badly its repercussions continue to affect Springfield in the present<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n