Let the Fire Burn
Crime & Punishment
•
1h 35m
Directed by Jason Osder • Documentary • 2013 • 95 minutes
In the astonishingly gripping Let the Fire Burn, director Jason Osder has crafted that rarest of cinematic objects: a found-footage film that unfurls with the tension of a great thriller. On May 13, 1985, a longtime feud between the city of Philadelphia and controversial radical urban group MOVE came to a deadly climax. By order of local authorities, police dropped military-grade explosives onto a MOVE-occupied rowhouse. TV cameras captured the conflagration that quickly escalated—and resulted in the tragic deaths of eleven people (including five children) and the destruction of 61 homes. It was only later discovered that authorities decided to “...let the fire burn.” Using only archival news coverage and interviews, first-time filmmaker Osder has brought to life one of the most tumultuous and largely forgotten clashes between government and citizens in modern American history.
Up Next in Crime & Punishment
-
Circle Up
Directed by Julie Mallozzi • Documentary • 2017 • 69 minutes
After the brutal slaying of her teenage son, Janet Connors reaches out to her son’s killer to offer a chance for forgiveness. They team up with a group of mothers of murdered children to help young people in their community break the c...
-
Latin Kings: A Street Gang Story
Directed by Jon Alpert • Documentary • 2003 • 75 minutes
Assembled by DCTV co-founder, award-winning documentarian Jon Alpert, LATIN KINGS: A STREET GANG STORY follows the notorious New York gang's ex-leader, Antonio "King Tone" Fernandez. Under house arrest at the time of filming, Fernandez ins...
-
The Trouble with Jessica
Directed by Matt Winn • Drama • With Alan Tudyk, Shirley Henderson, Rufus Sewell • 2025 • 89 minutes
Married couple Sarah (Shirley Henderson) and Tom (Alan Tudyk) are in terrible financial trouble. On the brink of losing everything, they’ve managed to find a buyer for their stylish London home. ...