THE STORY
On May 4th, 1970, thirteen young Americans were shot down by the National Guard in a shocking act of violence against unarmed students. This sparked the largest student strikes and student protests in history that swept across 3,000 campuses nationwide, punctuated ten days later by the shooting of African American students at Jackson State University.
This student protest in America did not arise from nowhere. It represented an active voice of protest against the terrible and continuing violence against African Americans and the perpetration of one of the most corrupt, violent and terrible wars in US history against the Vietnamese people.
Fire in the Heartland, The Kent State Story is not just another documentary about the tragedy of the events of May 4, 1970. Forget what you think you know, and discover the larger truth of a generation.
Click here to learn more about the story behind Fire In The Heartland: The Kent State Story
FIRE RIVER PICTURES
Fire in the Heartland is unique among films about Kent because it tells the story by showing the essential context of the Civil Rights struggle and its influential leadership at that campus.
The story of blacks and whites together working in the Civil Rights starts at the beginning of 1968 when black students at Kent formed Black United Students (BUS) to fight racism, poverty, the war and the lack of black history educators and courses at Kent.
Their landmark achievements at this public university in the northern United States made the national newspapers and news television headlines again and again.
Click here to learn more about Blacks and Whites coming together.
BLACKS AND WHITES
COMING TOGETHER
PRESS
"Fire in the Heartland is a 'profound look at a critical time in our nation’s history…. Truly an excellent documentary. I think every student should see it, especially anyone in a social justice course.'”
-Daune Robinson, Robinson’s Reviews
“Are the deaths of four students from four decades ago still relevant? Coming on the heels of the site of the shootings recent addition to the National Register of Historic Places, Fire in the Heartland makes a convincing case that the answer is yes. Most documentaries on this subject give the impression that the shootings came out of thin air.”
-George Porlock, The Man from Porlock. Blog site
“A potential Award-Winner From a Fiery Past” “The film puts the shooting into a historical content that has been missing during the past explanations of that day. It opens with the premise that the shootings did not happen just by accident and they may have even been an inevitable conclusion to a very troubling time. My vote: Excellent”
-Martha Speaks Out, Cleveland Film Festival
Daniel Miller
Producer, Writer, Director and Director of Photography
Dan attended Kent State University from 1968 through 1970. He is now a professor at the University of Oregon, the founder and director of the Oregon Documentary Project (ODP) and a documentary film photographer, producer, and director. His films include Fire in the Heartland (Kent State University 1960-1980), Dream To Fly (Howard Hughes and his Aviation Achievements), The New House (A History of Oregon’s Autzen Stadium), Making Pictures (A History of Community Photojournalism), Ninos del Campos (migration education), The Wall (the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall). Dan is the faculty advisor and executive producer of more than 40 award-winning public broadcast student-produced documentaries.
Executive Producer/Writer/Director/Director of Photography............................................................................Daniel Miller
Producer.................................................................................................................................................................Suzanne Clark
Co-Producer.............................................................................................................................................................Chic Canfora
Co-Producer..................................................................................................................................................William T. Whitaker
Lead Editor....................................................................................................................................................................Sam Allen
Editor and Technical Consultant.................................................................................................................................Kevin May
Consulting Editor......................................................................................................................................................Glenn Silber
Composer and Scorer............................................................................................................................................Chris Thomas
Narration................................................................................................................................................................Natalie Knepp
Associate Producer..........................................................................................................................................Frank W. Marshall
Associate Producer..............................................................................................................................................Marilyn J Miller
Associate Producer...........................................................................................................................................Ronald Rothstein
Associate Producer...............................................................................................................................................Whitney Calvin
Associate Producer..................................................................................................................................................Elliot Hodgin
Additional Photography........................................................................................................................................Todd Volkmer
Additional Photography...................................................................................................................................Mind and Media
Graphic Design and Media........................................................................................................................................Brad Smith
Graphic Design and Media.......................................................................................................................................Carly Sertic
Historian.....................................................................................................Tom Grace, Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties
Click here to view the full credits for Fire In The Heartland, The Kent State Story