David Ridgen

David Ridgen^[1] 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^[2] 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,^[3] was released to critical acclaim in 1996 on a riverboat in Kingston, ON.^[4][5]

In 2000, Ridgen made a critically acclaimed documentary about Palestinian refugees in Lebanon On the Borders of Gardens,^[6] which earned him a prestigious Canadian Association of Journalists Award.^[7]

A 2003 film Buried Alive^[8] 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^[9] 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,^[10] 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.^{[11][12][13][14][15]} Ridgen and Mississippi Cold Case have won many awards, including the IRE Top Medal for Investigative Reporting,^[16] a Gemini for Best Director,^[17] a CAJ for Best Investigative Program,^[18] several Yorkton Golden Sheafs including Best of Festival,^[19] a CINE Golden Eagle^[20] and an Emmy Nomination for Best Investigative Documentary^[21]

In 2008, Ridgen spearheaded The Civil Rights Cold Case Project^[22][23][24] 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.^[25] The film has gone on to screen at dozens of festivals and venues worldwide, earning another Audience Award at the Cinema Politica/RIDM Festival.^[26] American Radical had its world television premiere on Israeli Television, Yes (Israel) and also aired on Al Jazeera and RT.^[27]

References

1. ^ http://www.davidridgen.com/
2. ^ "Canadian Images of Vietnam". Davidridgen.com. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/Canadian_Images_of_Vietnam.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
3. ^ "Memento". Davidridgen.com. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/Memento.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
4. ^ "Memento Whig Standard Review". Davidridgen.com. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/Memento_Whig_Standard_Review.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
5. ^ "Memento Kingston This Week". Davidridgen.com. June 19, 1996. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/Memento_Kingston_This_Week.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
6. ^ "On the Borders of Gardens". Davidridgen.com. March 3, 2000. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/On_the_Borders_of_Gardens.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
7. ^ "Best in Canadian investigative journalism honoured – CTV News". Ctv.ca. May 27, 2001. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20010527/ctvnews90049/. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
8. ^ "Buried Alive". Davidridgen.com. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/Buried_Alive.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
9. ^ "Return to Mississippi". Davidridgen.com. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/Return_to_Mississippi.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
10. ^ "Mississippi Cold Case". Davidridgen.com. http://www.davidridgen.com/David_Ridgen/Mississippi_Cold_Case.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
11. ^ Associated, The (September 25, 2005). "Reported as Dead, Suspect in '64 Killings Turns Up Alive – New York Times". The New York Times. Mississippi. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/national/25civil.html?_r=1. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
12. ^ "Brother Wins Arrest in '64 Case". The Washington Post. January 26, 2007. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/26/AR2007012600198.html?nav=hcmodule. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
13. ^ Dewan, Shaila (February 3, 2007). "Push to Resolve Fading Killings of Rights Era – New York Times". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/03/us/03civil.html?ei=5088&en=8617809676350bcc&ex=1328158800&partner=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
14. ^ Frances Gibb Legal Editor (October 7, 2011). "The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion". The Times. UK. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1884442.ece. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
15. ^ "Cracking a very cold case". Toronto Star. January 26, 2007. http://www.thestar.com/article/175121. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
16. ^ http://www.ire.org/contest/07winners.html
17. ^ "Canada's Awards Database". Academy.ca. March 28, 2011. http://www.academy.ca/hist/history.cfm?nname=ridgen&winonly=0&awards=0&rtype=1&curstep=4&submit.x=55&submit.y=13. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
18. ^ "CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS | CAJ Award winners announced". Newswire.ca. May 25, 2008. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/25/c4104.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
19. ^ "Winners". Goldensheafawards.com. http://www.goldensheafawards.com/files/File/winners/winners2007.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
20. ^ http://www.cine.org/archives/winner-archives/pdfs/2007-CINE-Winner-Directory.pdf
21. ^ "The Emmy Awards – - 28th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards". Emmyonline.org. http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/news_29th_nominations.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
22. ^ coldcases.org
23. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
24. ^ "Hank Klibanoff – The glacial pace of Justice". The Washington Post. August 8, 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/06/AR2010080605023.html. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
25. ^ http://www.ifpchicago.org/the-16th-chicago-underground-film-festival-award-winners/
26. ^ by uofw on 29/06/2011. "American Radical wins CP Audience Choice Award". cinema politica. http://www.cinemapolitica.org/blog/ezra/american-radical-wins-cp-audience-choice-award. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
27. ^ "American Radical: the trials of Norman Finkelstein". Americanradicalthefilm.com. http://www.americanradicalthefilm.com/. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 

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