David Ridgen
Encyclopedia
David Ridgen is an award-winning independent Canadian filmmaker. He has worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, MSNBC, NPR, TVOntario and others.
Ridgen co-directed Canadian Images of Vietnam with his brother Robert Ridgen in 1990. The compilation, produced by Robert, was acquired by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography in 1991.
Ridgen's first feature drama, Memento, was released to critical acclaim in 1996 on a riverboat in Kingston, ON.
In 2000, Ridgen made a critically acclaimed documentary about Palestinian refugees in Lebanon On the Borders of Gardens, which earned him a prestigious Canadian Association of Journalists Award.
A 2003 film Buried Alive made for CBC
, was about a group of people seeking spiritual enlightenment by digging their own graves and being buried alive in them overnight. This film won a Bronze Plaque Award at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival.
Ridgen made Return to Mississippi in 2004 for the CBC
, about the potential for a trial in the case of the Mississippi Burning
victims, civil rights workers Michael Schwerner
, James Chaney
, and Andrew Goodman
.
During the production of Return to Mississippi, Ridgen learned of the Klan murder of African Americans Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore which led him to make his next and probably most famous film, Mississippi Cold Case
, which led the case of two black 19 year olds, Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, murdered by the KKK in 1964 to be re-opened and successfully prosecuted. As a result Klansman James Ford Seale is serving three concurrent life sentences for conspiracy and the kidnapping of Dee and Moore in 1964 where the victims were not released unharmed. Ridgen and Mississippi Cold Case have won many awards, including the IRE
Top Medal for Investigative Reporting, a Gemini for Best Director, a CAJ for Best Investigative Program, several Yorkton Golden Sheafs including Best of Festival, a CINE Golden Eagle and an Emmy Nomination for Best Investigative Documentary
In 2008, Ridgen spearheaded The Civil Rights Cold Case Project with Paperny Films
and the Center for Investigative Reporting
. The Project brings together partners from across the media and legal spectrum to reveal long-neglected truths behind scores of race-motivated murders from the civil rights era, and to help facilitate reconciliation and healing.
Ridgen's 2009 documentary, American Radical: the trials of Norman Finkelstein
, co-directed and co-produced with Nic Rossier, is about the life of controversial political scientist Norman Finkelstein
. American Radical, was released in 2009, premiering at the Chicago Underground Film Festival
and winning the Audience Choice Award. The film has gone on to screen at dozens of festivals and venues worldwide, earning another Audience Award at the Cinema Politica/RIDM Festival. American Radical had its world television premiere on Israeli Television, Yes (Israel) and also aired on Al Jazeera
and RT
.
Ridgen co-directed Canadian Images of Vietnam with his brother Robert Ridgen in 1990. The compilation, produced by Robert, was acquired by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography in 1991.
Ridgen's first feature drama, Memento, was released to critical acclaim in 1996 on a riverboat in Kingston, ON.
In 2000, Ridgen made a critically acclaimed documentary about Palestinian refugees in Lebanon On the Borders of Gardens, which earned him a prestigious Canadian Association of Journalists Award.
A 2003 film Buried Alive made for CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, was about a group of people seeking spiritual enlightenment by digging their own graves and being buried alive in them overnight. This film won a Bronze Plaque Award at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival.
Ridgen made Return to Mississippi in 2004 for the CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, about the potential for a trial in the case of the Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
victims, civil rights workers Michael Schwerner
Michael Schwerner
Michael Henry Schwerner , was one of three Congress of Racial Equality field workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by the Ku Klux Klan in response to their civil rights work, which included promoting voting registration among Mississippi African Americans...
, James Chaney
James Chaney
James Earl "J.E." Chaney , from Meridian, Mississippi, was one of three American civil rights workers who were murdered during Freedom Summer by members of the Ku Klux Klan near Philadelphia...
, and Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman was one of three American civil rights activists murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life and education:...
.
During the production of Return to Mississippi, Ridgen learned of the Klan murder of African Americans Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore which led him to make his next and probably most famous film, Mississippi Cold Case
Mississippi Cold Case
Mississippi Cold Case is a 2007 feature documentary produced by David Ridgen of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation about the Ku Klux Klan murders of two 19-year-old black youth in 1964 and a brother's quest for justice.-Moore and Dee murders:...
, which led the case of two black 19 year olds, Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, murdered by the KKK in 1964 to be re-opened and successfully prosecuted. As a result Klansman James Ford Seale is serving three concurrent life sentences for conspiracy and the kidnapping of Dee and Moore in 1964 where the victims were not released unharmed. Ridgen and Mississippi Cold Case have won many awards, including the IRE
Investigative Reporters and Editors
Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the quality of investigative reporting. Formed in 1975, it presents the IRE Awards and holds conferences and training classes for journalists. Its headquarters is in Columbia, Missouri, at the University of...
Top Medal for Investigative Reporting, a Gemini for Best Director, a CAJ for Best Investigative Program, several Yorkton Golden Sheafs including Best of Festival, a CINE Golden Eagle and an Emmy Nomination for Best Investigative Documentary
In 2008, Ridgen spearheaded The Civil Rights Cold Case Project with Paperny Films
Paperny Films
Paperny Entertainment is a Vancouver-based, Academy Award nominated producer of television programming and films, ranging from character-driven documentaries to provocative comedy to quirky reality shows...
and the Center for Investigative Reporting
Center for Investigative Reporting
The Center for Investigative Reporting is a non-profit journalism organization located in Berkeley, California. It was founded in 1977 by Lowell Bergman, , and David Weir to reveal injustice and abuse of power through the tools of journalism....
. The Project brings together partners from across the media and legal spectrum to reveal long-neglected truths behind scores of race-motivated murders from the civil rights era, and to help facilitate reconciliation and healing.
Ridgen's 2009 documentary, American Radical: the trials of Norman Finkelstein
American Radical: the trials of Norman Finkelstein
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein is a 2009 documentary film about the life of the American academic Norman Finkelstein, directed and produced by David Ridgen and Nicolas Rossier...
, co-directed and co-produced with Nic Rossier, is about the life of controversial political scientist Norman Finkelstein
Norman Finkelstein
Norman Gary Finkelstein is an American political scientist, activist and author. His primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is a graduate of Binghamton University and received his Ph.D in Political Science from Princeton University...
. American Radical, was released in 2009, premiering at the Chicago Underground Film Festival
Chicago Underground Film Festival
Chicago Underground Film Festival, founded in 1994, occurs each spring at various venues in Chicago, Illinois in the USA.Over the last 18 years it has become one of the most respected festivals in the USA and is today well attended by critics and programers. The festival's stated goal is "to focus...
and winning the Audience Choice Award. The film has gone on to screen at dozens of festivals and venues worldwide, earning another Audience Award at the Cinema Politica/RIDM Festival. American Radical had its world television premiere on Israeli Television, Yes (Israel) and also aired on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
and RT
RT (TV network)
RT, previously known as Russia Today, is a global multilingual television news network based in the Russian Federation run by the state-owned state-run RIA Novosti....
.