Louis J. Massiah
- MIT Sponsors:
- Vivek Bald, Comparative Media Studies/Writing Program
- Scholar Link:Louis J. Massiah on the Center for the Humanities website
The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been in the minority… It will take such a small committed minority to work unrelentingly to win the uncommitted majority. Such a group may transform America’s greatest dilemma into her most glorious opportunity.
Background
Louis J. Massiah is a documentary filmmaker and the founder/director of Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia. Through Scribe, he assists emerging filmmakers in authoring their own stories. In his films, Massiah focuses on people who have dedicated their lives to change society, while capturing community stories. He holds a master’s in visual studies from MIT.
Interests
Massiah has been praised for his grassroots approach to participatory filmmaking, which allows him to capture intimate details about the communities he depicts. His work includes The Bombing of Osage Avenue (1986), W.E.B. Du Bois – A Biography in Four Voices (1996), two films for the Eyes on the Prize II series (1987), A is for Anarchist, B is for Brown (2002), and The Interrogative Portrait series: How to Make A Flower: La Méthode MOBO (2020), What I See: Don Camp (2021), Why Black Film? – A Conversation with Pearl Bowser (2023), as well as video installations for The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a Nation and the Musée des Civilisations Noires in Dakar, Senegal. Massiah is the project director and co-programmer of We Tell: 50 Years of Participatory Community Media.
News Items
Louis Massiah: W.E.B. Du Bois – A Biography in Four Voices
Step into history when you join us for a viewing of “W.E.B. Du Bois – A Biography in Four Voices,” a film helmed by Louis Massiah.
MLK Scholar Presentation: “Documentary and the Power of Knowledge Sharing” with Louis J. Massiah
Join documentary filmmaker and educator Louis Massiah for a talk on the possibilities of documentary as a tool for community cultural work.
MIT welcomes nine MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars for 2023-24
Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars will enhance and enrich the MIT community through engagement with students and faculty.
Global France Seminar presents La Parisienne Démystifiée
The film will be followed by a conversation with Rokhaya Diallo and Louis Massiah, filmmaker and MLK Scholar.
Media and Methods For Community-Based Archiving
Join Louis Massiah for this discussion about place-based archiving that can withstand technological change and community displacement.
MIT welcomes eight MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars for 2022-23
Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars will enhance and enrich the MIT community through engagement with students and faculty.
Sample Work
Documentary
The Bombing of Osage Avenue
(Director/Producer), 1986This film documents the communal response to the 1985 bombing of the MOVE organization’s house in West Philadelphia, killing 11 and destroying 65 houses in the neighborhood.
Documentary Series
Eyes on the Prize
(Director/Producer/Writer - 2 episodes), 1990- A Nation of Law?: 1968-1971, 1990
- Power!: 1966-1968, 1990
Documentary
W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices
(Director/Producer), 1996Uses archival footage, photo animation, and interviews with four writers to explain the life of one of the major strategists for the empowerment of African-Americans.
Documentary
Louise Thompson Patterson: In Her Own Words
1996A short documentary tracing the life and times of Louise Alone Thompson Patterson, a civil rights and labor activist who was dubbed ”Madame Moscow” for her role in America’s communist movement.