[Upd-discuss] [Fwd: Alert: "Eyes on the Prize" to be Released on Internet]

[Robert Weissman]

Alert: "Eyes on the Prize" to be Released on Internet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2005

Eyes on the Screen

"Eyes on the Prize", Civil Rights Documentary, To Be
Released Over the Internet Despite Copyright Disputes

A day of public screenings of the legendary
documentary, to be organized for February 8th, 2005

HYPERLINK: http://www.eyesonthescreen.org

According to some, it's illegal for makers of the civil
rights documentary "Eyes on the Prize" to put it on DVD
or show it in public. But at 8:00 PM on February during
Black History Month, Downhill Battle
(downhillbattle.org) is encouraging Americans to
celebrate the struggle and triumph of the civil rights
movement with screenings of "Eyes on the Prize" in
homes and public places with the goal of having a
screening in every major city in America. The campaign
is called Eyes on the Screen.

"Eyes on the Prize" is the most comprehensive and
revered civil rights documentary ever made. But the
documentary has not been available for public viewing
for the past 10 years because of unreasonable copyright
laws that impose stifling restrictions on artists and
filmmakers. In one instance, copyright holders believe
they should receive licensing fees for the song "Happy
Birthday," which appears in footage of a group of
people singing to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"To celebrate Black History Month, we believe that
"Eyes on the Prize" should be seen by as many people as
possible," says Tiffiniy Cheng of Downhill Battle. "The
civil rights movement is just too important for this
invaluable resource to be denied to the public. So,
we're going to help distribute "Eyes on the Prize" to a
mass audience and communities can have screenings."

"Eyes on the Prize is one of the most effective
documentaries ever put together that dealt with civic
engagement," says civil rights leader Lawrence Guyot.
"This is analogous to stopping the circulation of all
the books about Martin Luther King, stopping the
circulation of all the books about Malcolm X, stopping
the circulation of books about the founding of
America... I would call upon everyone who has access to
'Eyes on the Prize' to openly violate any and all laws
regarding its showing."

"Eyes on the Prize" is an award-winning 14-volume
documentary made by the late Henry Hampton, tracking
the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1965. Clayborne
Carson, a Stanford University history professor, has
said, "It is the principal film account of the most
important American social justice movement of the 20th
century" (Wired News, 12/22/04).

"Eyes on the Prize" was the first introduction to the
history of the Civil Rights Movement for millions of
people," says Nicholas Reville of Downhill Battle, "But
our corporatized copyright system is keeping it locked
away."

"The situation of "Eyes on the Prize" is a perfect
example of why copyright law isn't working for the
public," says Cheng. "It's ridiculous that this
documentary is languishing in copyright purgatory,
instead of being shown in classrooms. "Eyes on the
Screen" is a perfect example of how people can bring
attention to bad copyright law and start turning the
situation around."

For background, see this article:

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14801-2005Jan16.html

Contact:

Lawrence Guyot,
Former Leader of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic
Party
w: (202)727-4742
h: (202)332-5157

Tiffiniy Cheng,
Co-Director of Downhill Battle
w: (508)963-1096
e: tyc@downhillbattle.org

Nicholas Reville,
Co-Director of Downhill Battle
w: (508)963-7832
e: npr@downhillbattle.org

###

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