HFF 2015 Interview: Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot Director/Producer/Co-Writer Bill Brummel

Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is the true story of a courageous group of Alabama students and teachers who fight a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African-Americans in the South. They’d face intimidation, violence, and jail to achieve one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era. Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is a 2015 Heartland Film Festival Official Selection, Documentary Short.

We spoke with Director/Producer/Co-Writer Bill Brummel about his film:

HF: What is your film about, and how did the project come to be?

BB: 2015 marks the 50^th anniversary of the culmination of the Selma voting rights campaign, the Bloody Sunday attack on protesters, the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, and the signing of the Voting Rights Act. With that in mind the Southern Poverty Law Center decided to create a 40-minute documentary for its Teaching Tolerance program about the dramatic stories of some of the secret heroes of the Selma voting rights movement. I was asked to produce and direct the film.

Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot tells the story of the historic struggle for voting rights though the voices of the Alabama high school students and teachers who were the backbone of the Selma movement. They confronted a violent sheriff and a defiant governor determined to protect white supremacy at any cost. By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence, arrest and even murder, these young activists helped achieve one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era, the passage of the Voting Right Act. The story of the role of Selma’s students and teachers in the Voting Rights struggle has never been told in film.

The film is narrated by Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer. It includes music from Mavis Staples & Ry Cooder, The Roots, and Anthony Hamilton & Blind Boys of Alabama.

HF: What was your role in the production?

BB: I produced, directed and co-wrote the film.

HF: Why did you submit to the Heartland Film Festival? Have you been to the Festival before?

BB: In 2012, I attended the Heartland festival in support of my film Erasing Hate. I had a wonderful experience at the festival. The festival organizers treat filmmakers with respect. The audiences are intelligent and attentive. The atmosphere is energetic and electric.

One of my goals is the get the film seen in every part of the country. Many may think of my film as a southern story. I see it as a uniquely American story. Heartland seems like a perfect fit.

HF: This year’s tagline is “Movies That Stay with You” – what lasting effect will your film have on moviegoers?

BB: I hope one lasting effect is that the film inspires a new generation of young people to go out and vote, and realize the sacrifices made to secure that right for all Americans. I remember the excitement I felt when I voted for the very first time. I still feel it when I go to the polls. I want young people to feel that same enthusiasm I feel.

HF: What has inspired you to become a filmmaker?

BB: I was working mostly on silly reality television early in my career. Then in 1997 I was diagnosed with throat cancer. It was then I decided I wanted to create programming I could be proud to leave behind. I focused my career on documentaries and telling stories related to human rights and civil rights. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that for the last 18 years.

HF: What is something that you know about filmmaking now, but you weren’t told when you started your career?

BB: When I started making documentaries I don’t think I understood the magnitude of the filmmaker’s responsibility to an accurate depiction of history. To do this, a massive amount of time must be dedicated to research and investigation. A point of view approach is fine but it will only be taken seriously if the history is true.

HF: What are some of your favorite movies? What’s your favorite worst movie (you know it’s bad, but still love it)?

BB: Just too many to mention.

HF: How many film festivals has your film been a part of? What do you like the most about the festival experience?

BB: Currently Selma – The Bridge to the Ballot has been (or will be) in five festivals. I enjoy the opportunity for interaction with other filmmakers and audiences at festivals.

HF: Heartland Film Festival moviegoers love filmmaker Q&As. Let’s say a Festival attendee wants to earn some brownie points—what is a question that you’d love to answer, but haven’t yet been asked?

BB: Well I think it would be something completely unrelated to filmmaking. I’m always happy to talk about my lifelong love of the Dodgers and baseball in general, music, and my new dog Buddy.