CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A Chicago film has received a special honor.
The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971), which tells the story of the shooting death of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton by Chicago Police in 1969, has been selected for the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
Nancy Watrous, Executive Director of the Chicago Film Archives, told WBBM, "I think it's hugely significant because the history it reveals that had not been revealed before."
"A lot of the discussion that is happening now about this film is a continuation of a longer discourse about the Black Power movement in general and people trying to understand it," said Yasmin Desouki, the collections manager at the Chicago Film Archives.
Desouki also said The Murder of Fred Hampton is "an early example of what you would now call citizen journalism."
"It's an interesting combination of cinema verite and citizen journalism and a lot of different kinds of historical, social movements, but also film movements...it's a combination of aesthetic and sociopolitical concerns."
Watrous also said we need more of these treasures.
"Coming out of this pandemic, the work we do is more important than ever. There is so much more call for historical evidence, for historical footage."
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