Mumia Abu Jamal: Long Distance Revolutionary is a magnificent artistic journey through Mumia's life. It spotlights his talent, brilliance, and perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds. It shows the absurdist Kafkaesque tragedy that our criminal justice system has become. A former Black Panther and a leftist journalist Mumia had a perspective that challenged the status quo and made his capture and silencing an imperative to the FBI and the Philadelphia police under the iron fist of Frank Rizzo. Filmmaker Stephen Vittoria brings out Mumia's humanity while never losing sight of the racial and class politics so intrinsic to Mumia's message of love to the world. Cornel West says Mumia is a long distance revolutionary because of his love for and dedication to humanity. He says Mumia is a blues man to the life of the mind, and a jazz man of ideas. Vittoria makes these musical allusions vivid in the film. He does this under the severe constraints set by the Pennsylvania prison system. He was not allowed to film Mumia, yet managed to use stills and vintage footage to maximum effect. The audience comes away from the film knowing they have experienced a truly remarkable man. Vittoria tells us that Mumia is so remarkable Paris has designated him an honorary citizen, and St. Denis, France, the city of kings, has named a street after him. This movie doesn't address the question of Mumia's actual guilt or innocence, but in a companion feature on the DVD , "Manufacturing Guilt", Vittoria shows how the evidence against Mumia was heavily fabricated. Fundamental police procedures such as testing for explosives on his hands that would indicate whether or not he had recently fired a gun were not done. At the same time a witness was coerced into giving a false confession which she later recanted. On appeal the evidence from Mumia's trial proved so flimsy, he was removed from death row after 30 years.
