The 5th Little Girl

A proposed promotional poster for the film.

THE STORY: In August of 1963 some 250,000 people listened to Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his inspiring dream of a nation where little black and white children would someday hold hands and be “judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.”

Yet, even as these inspiring words of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech rang out from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, racial relations in the segregated South were marked by vicious acts of violence and scathing and persistent inequality. On September 15, 1963 the Ku Kux Klan planted dynamite outside a church in Birmingham, Alabama blowing a gaping hole into the wall and killing four little girls who were in the bathroom preparing for Sunday morning services.

The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was a predominantly black congregation that served as an organizing and meeting place for civil rights leaders and protestors. A place of sanctuary and peace instantly became a place of horror and lifelong nightmares.

Four young girls were killed and twenty other people were injured, one permanently and seriously. This act of terrorism against innocent children became the tipping point of the Civil Rights movement, drawing outrage from across the nation. The violent clash between civil rights protestors and police drew national attention to the dangerous struggle for civil rights for African-Americans. Eventually the four little girls' deaths would be instrumental in the passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

This is the story of Sarah Collins Rudolph, the fifth little girl who was injured on that horrible September morning and the pastor determined to tell her story to the world. Her story has been largely ignored by history, her suffering and heartbreak mostly forgotten.

The aftermath of the bombing, outside of the church.

THE FILM: Art Aperitif Productions has optioned the rights to the screenplay for the film from celebrated pastor and activist Toni DiPina. We're in the pre-production phase of the project and seeking investors and producers to help us make this incredible and powerful story come to life on screen. Presently, we have a very modest budget for transporting a skeleton film crew to Birmingham to film the 50th Anniversary Commemorative event (part of a year-long event inaugurated by the city of Birmingham, see http://birminghamal.org/events/50th-anniversary-of-the-civil-rights-movement-in-birmingham/). We will also interview Mrs. Rudolph herself, and present a historical background interspersed with commentary from prominent experts, including the Rev. John Reynolds, who was present with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at pivotal moments in the civil rights era. Once this first phase of securing primary footage for the film is complete, we will shop a rough cut of the film around for finishing costs and, if possible, supplementary interviews and archival footage for the film. 

PUBLICITY: As with any new film made in 2013, a social media campaign is essential. We have already begun to promote our film on the most popular social media platforms including Facebook. In June 2013, we filmed an 8-minute promotional video with director Jace Paul and writer Toni DiPina (the promo can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjJwNJKf4o). 

We have unconditional confidence in this film, and we are currently seeking co-production contacts, corporate sponsors, corporate or private investors, and non-profit grants to meet our budget.

Interested parties please contact:

Art Aperitif/Nathan Adams, Production Manager - (860) 942-1211

Director Jace Paul and writer Toni DiPina.