‘Bella!’ And ‘Philly On Fire’ Become First Docs To Tie For Library Of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize

Matt Grobar
·3 min read
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The Better Angels Society, the Library of Congress and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation have set two winners of the fourth annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film: director Jeff L. Lieberman’s Bella! and Philly on Fire, directed by Ross Hockrow and Tommy Walker. This is the first time that the selection process for the coveted documentary award has resulted in a tie.

Bella! tells the story of former United States Representative Bella Abzug, a feminist and civil rights advocate, who took on a Washington establishment resistant to change and sacrificed her own political ambitions for future generations of female leadership.

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Philly on Fire chronicles the 1985 Philadelphia police bombing of a row house, which burned down an entire neighborhood — killing 11 people, including five children, destroying 61 homes and rendering 250 people homeless.

Established in 2019, the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film recognizes late-stage documentaries that use original research and archival materials to tell stories that bring American history to life. The filmmakers named as the 2022 winners of the prize will receive a $200,000 finishing grant to help with final production and distribution.

The finalists behind titles including Cannabis Buyers Club, Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting, Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend and Virgil Thomson: Creating the American Sound will also benefit from finishing grants, in the amount of $25,000.

Submissions for the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film were reviewed by filmmakers from iconic documentarian Burns’ production company Florentine Films, as well as staff from the Library of Congress’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. Dr. Carla Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to lead the Library of Congress, chaired the Jury which narrowed down finalists to the top two submissions, which also included Harvard University professor, Dr. Annette Gordon-Reed; award-winning filmmaker Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI); documentarians Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble) and Sally Rosenthal (Mae West: Dirty Blonde); and University of Georgia professor, Dr. Claudio Saunt.

“I’m proud to be recognizing not just one, but two extraordinary documentaries this year,” said Hayden. “One follows the career of a true trailblazer in Congress, “Battling” Bella Abzug, who came to Washington powered by her conviction and slogan that “this woman’s place is in the House — the House of Representatives.” The other documents a harrowing episode in 1985 when the Philadelphia police bombed a row house and killed 11 people. This project to preserve the memory of this shocking event will, I hope, help prevent others like it.”

“With all the extraordinary films we received this year, choosing just one winner proved to be an impossible task. We’re honored to provide the filmmakers with funds to help finish their films and share them with the public,” remarked Burns. “I have always believed that documentary films help illuminate the past, making it possible for us to see who we are as a nation more clearly while helping us navigate the future.”

“Our country’s history is not simple, and we must explore that complexity to better understand each other and our society,” added Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine, who provided the funding for the Prize for Film to The Better Angels Society through the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation. “The winning films are powerful stories that urge us to examine the past in new, compelling ways, and at the same time speak directly to the challenges of our present and future.”

“Provoking thoughtful discussion and honoring our common history through documentary film is what The Better Angels Society is all about,” said The Better Angels Society’s Executive Director, Courtney Chapin, in closing. “It’s our privilege to welcome these outstanding historical documentarians into our community, and we congratulate each winner and finalist for helping us build a national discourse on what defines us as Americans.”

More information on the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film can be found here.

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