Dickson & Pilson

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Sandy Dickson and Cara Pilson

The award-winning films below are a representative sample of the work of Professor Sandy Dickson and Teaching Professor Cara Pilson, who have worked together on films for over twenty years. In addition to national PBS broadcasts and numerous film festival screenings, the films have been the focus of articles in major publications, including: The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, and Time magazine

The Last Flight of Petr Ginz

Directors: Sandy Dickson & Churchill Roberts
Associate Directors: Cynthia Hill & Cara Pilson

A story of celebration and tragedy, The Last Flight of Petr Ginz is a whimsical and fantastical journey through one boy’s imagination. Combining animation, art, and live action, the documentary is a testament to how a boy’s creative expression represents the best of what makes us human. By age 14, Petr Ginz had written five novels and penned a diary about the Nazi occupation of Prague. By 16 he had produced more than 170 drawings and paintings, edited an underground magazine in the Theresienstadt Ghetto, written numerous short stories, and walked to the gas chamber at Auschwitz.

Winner, Avner Shalev Award for Cinematic Excellence–Jerusalem International Film Festival, Official Selection–Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Screening–Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Distributed to 190 countries by U.S. State Department, Distributed to United Nations Information Centers.

Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power

Directors: Sandy Dickson & Churchill Roberts
Associate Directors: Cynthia Hill & Cara Pilson

Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black tells the dramatic story of the often-forgotten civil rights leader who urged African Americans to arm themselves against violent racists. In doing so, Williams not only challenged the Klan-dominated establishment of his hometown of Monroe, North Carolina, he alienated the mainstream Civil Rights Movement, which advocated peaceful resistance. The film offers an incisive look at a truly fascinating man and a thought-provoking examination of our notions of patriotism and the acceptable limits of dissent.

National PBS Broadcast–Independent Lens, Erik Barnouw Award, Outstanding Historical Documentary–Organization of American Historians, Audience Award–Detroit Docs Film Festival, Critic’s Award for Outstanding Feature Documentary–New York UrbanWorld Film Festival, Nominee,ABC News VideoSource Award–International Documentary Association,Official Selection–Los Angeles Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Revelation Perth International Film Festival, DocNZ International Film Festival.

Freedom Never Dies: The Legacy of Harry T. Moore

Directors: Sandy Dickson & Churchill Roberts, Directors
Associate Directors: Cynthia Hill & Cara Pilson

Freedom Never Dies: The Legacy of Harry T. Moore explores the life and times of this enigmatic leader, a distinguished school teacher whose passionate crusade for equal rights could not be discouraged by either the white power structure or the more cautious factions of his own movement. Although Moore’s assassination was an international cause celebre in 1951, it was overshadowed by following events and eventually almost forgotten. Freedom Never Dies: The Legacy of Harry T. Moore restores Moore to his rightful place in the Civil Rights saga.

National PBS broadcast, 2001 Erik Barrow Award–Outstanding Historical Documentary, Organization of American Historians, Distributed by Documentary Education Resources.

Other National PBS Broadcasts