The Front Lines (2020)
Photos & Video by Rebecca Jean Ward
CAM | Battle of Forks Road Memorial Trail | Wrightsville Beach
Wilmington, NC
Just one month before the entire nation shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the crew banded together to create another work on North Carolina’s rich and mostly unknown history, this time in Wilmington. Proxemic again operated as a production manager, ensuring that we kept scouting visits, rehearsals and film shoots on-task and on-schedule.
“The Front Lines is a short artistic film that centers some of the history of Wilmington. Through poetry and dance, the film begins to unpack the 1865 Battle of Forks Road during the Civil War, the 1898 Massacre and the 1971 Wilmington Ten case.
The events discussed in the film haven’t just had an impact on North Carolina, but across the country. The victory at the Battle of Forks Road helped win the Civil War, and the 1898 Massacre served as a template for white supremacy. The Wilimington Ten case had the attention of the nation and prompted James Baldwin to write an open letter to Jimmy Carter. All three events were pivotal in shaping what Wilmington is today.”
-Mike Williams