bearing witness
- a short documentary film
film mission
‘bearing witness’ is a short documentary film that examines the history of policing in Minneapolis (along with the greater Twin Cities), as well as anti-police movements and organizing. The film aims to frame the events following the 2020 police murder of George Floyd, which initiated protests worldwide and transformed the Black Lives Matter movement into the largest Civil Rights movement ever, in a historical and community context.
Elders and youth from Minneapolis, along with organizers and academics familiar with policing and movement work in the twin cities, will be the central voices narrating the story of policing in Minneapolis. In this short documentary, community members and community stakeholders will be prioritized, and their experiences will be used to understand that the murder of George Floyd and subsequent civil unrest isn’t a new phenomenon in Minneapolis, but rather a centuries-old story. The documentary will tell this story with the use of archival footage from the last few decades, as well as from the summer of 2020. The footage available from libraries, archives, and social media, along with personal narratives, will make up most of the film.
We are interested in where Minneapolis has been, what happened summer of 2020 and where we go from here.
film manifesto
This is not a film about George Floyd, may he rest in power. Or even a film about the 2020 uprising.
We are from Minneapolis. This is our city. We know this story because we have lived it.
This is a film about Minneapolis. And more specifically, about the history + current reality of anti-police organizing in Minneapolis and the conditions that have necessitated active campaigns against MPD.
More than anything, it is a film about what it means to be Black in relation to the state.
We are not looking to make martyrs of people who have been murdered, nor are we seeking to erect monuments to the traumas our community experienced that summer. We are simply trying to tell a truth; OUR truth.
This film is not a story about any specific people, group, or action, but rather chronicles the history and community struggle of Black folks and their resistance in Minnesota. That is why we have interviewed housing activists, foster care organizers, legal advocates, and more. We are interested in constructing a more comprehensive picture of the state violence that Black people experience in Minneapolis. And how they resist and fight back.
And finally, this is also a film about history. What happened in the summer of 2020 is a story that is centuries in the making. We are seeking to contextualize what policing has been and currently is for Black communities in MPLS.
Sara Osman
Co-Director (she/her)
Sara Osman is a legal advocate, documentary filmmaker, and cultural practitioner from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work focuses on community stories, and she is the Director of Creative Development at The Qalanjo Project, a Somali cultural organization and creative arts studio in Minneapolis.
She is interested in exploring identity, space, and memory as it relates to the experiences of communities of color in the state of Minnesota and reimagining personal narratives.
W. Geedi
Co-Director (she/her)
W. Geedi is a Somali writer, filmmaker, producer, and thinker from Minneapolis, MN. A former community organizer and teacher, her work revolves around Somali life and history, surveillance, and themes of dis/connection.
Geedi’s passion for Somalinimo, speculative fiction, spirituality, and fantasy informs all aspects of her work.
Awa Mally
Cinematographer (she/her)
Awa Mally is a Togolese-American photographer based in Minneapolis. She uses photography not only for her own expression but to display the glory within the African Diaspora.
Her mission is to bring young people access to art as well as empowering them, all the while connecting various branches of the diaspora.
Olumide Famule
2nd Camera/Editing Consultant
Dave Bergass
Editor
Mare Lodu
Archival Producer
“… how could I ever explain to you —
someone prayed we’d rest in peace
& here we are
in peace whole all summer.”
- Danez Smith, “summer, somewhere”