Philly on Fire

Co-directed by Ross Hockrow (HBO’s Women of Troy) and Tommy Walker (The List series, HBO)

On May 13th, 1985, the Philadelphia police bombed a house in West Philly, starting the worst fire in the city’s history. 11 people died, including five children. Only two survived. Philly on Fire tells the story of the bombing of Black liberation group MOVE through the voices of the people who lived it.

MOVE, a small but revolutionary group of Black Philadelphians, lived communally and had frequent disputes with their neighbours. In 1985, Mayor Goode authorised the police to arrest and evict MOVE. Philadelphia become a war zone – the police used deluge guns, tear gas, fired 10,000 rounds, and dropped a bomb that incinerated the entire neighbourhood. The sole survivors were Ramona and infant Birdie Africa.

In Philly on Fire, Ramona tells her full story for the first time. Ramona, Andino (Birdie’s father, who had been denied access by MOVE to see his son) and the police officer who saved Birdie recall Philly’s troubled racial history, MOVE’s tensions with the city’s politicians, and the horrific police brutality the group were subjected to.

A film rich in archival assets and incredible access, this unprecedented and gripping narrative reveals the myriad causes of the disaster while ultimately offering a silver lining and path to reconciliation.