We've been keeping our eye on indie filmmaker St.Clair Bourne lately, especially since various groups, including BAD-West have seen fit to sing his praises so loudly.
He let us know he's been on the road lately, but has been steadily at work on a new documentary: Pictures Tell the Story is slated to be a life and times portrait of Ernest Withers, a self-employed photographer best known for having captured pivotal moments of the civil rights era. His self-published book Complete Photo Story of Till Murder Case not only documented the Emmett Till murder, but served as a catalyst to mobilize civil rights action throughout the U.S.
Bourne is currently in the research and development phase and is also spending time shooting enough footage to create a sample reel. The film will not only document Withers's photography, but will provide a social history of Memphis, music, and the civil rights era in general. We like the main message Bourne is trying to get across in the film: heroic acts are often performed by those who think of themselves as "doing their job." A call-to-arms for the artist if there ever was one…
