Sisters of Selma

2000-2002 Research & Fundraising

2003-2004 Production

2005-2006 Editing & Completion

photo: AP Wide World

This website is the result of a research Grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation which funded our first trip to Selma in 2000.  We gathered 5 hours of Mini DV footage which generated the text and some of the stills for this website.  Key images from various archives have also been acquired as well as viewing tapes of footage from ABC Videosource, NBC Archives, and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation archives.  Thanks to the hospitality of St. Mary's Convent and the support of Fontbonne University and Webster University Archives, the we were able to gather pre-interview and location footage and images in St. Louis.  The archival material and the Mini DV footage was edited into a 9-minute "research sampler" for grant applications starting February 15, 2003.  

Accommodation in Selma provided by Jameson Inn, Broad Street.

Documentary producer Tommy Wier at the Birmingham station of Alabama Public TV saw the "research sampler" and agreed to co-produce Sisters of Selma with Hartfilms.  The partnership was awarded a production grant by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting through its ITVS-LInCS initiative to encourage collaboration between independent producers and stations.  Matching funds came from the Louisville Institute, Kentucky; Alabama Humanities Foundation, Birmingham; and the Catholic Communications Campaign.  Although archival research was incomplete, production began in 2003.

Since this documentary was for the Public Broadcasting Service, the most cost-effective video format was used and, where possible, equipment owned by crew members.  The total budget was just over $200,000 of which production would cost $99,300.  

Little did we know then that the cost of licensing the archival footage and stills would add another $40,000 to the budget!  The additional $15,000 - $20,000 projected to fund the design and construction of the accompanying website was quickly written into the licensing budget.