Hostage situations have been a part of cinema for decades. Films like Dog Day Afternoon and The Negotiator are infamous for their dramatic hostage scenes. The documentary Hold Your Fire also revolves around a hostage situation. Like Dog Day Afternoon, it is based on a true incident.
In January 1973, a group of Sunni Muslims tried to steal guns from a sporting goods store in Brooklyn, New York. Shu’aib Raheem was the ringleader, and along with Yusef Abdallah Almussadig, Dawud Rahman, and Salih Ali Abdullah they entered John and Al’s Sporting Goods store in Williamsburg. They wouldn’t leave for forty-seven hours.
There are several integral characters in Hold Your Fire, and one of the most charismatic is the man who was behind the counter that day: Jerry Riccio. A born and bred New Yorker, Riccio’s recollection of that fateful day details how he kept his cool while escaping with the hostages. When Riccio discovers Rahman is still incarcerated, he reacts with compassion.
We then explore elements of police culture and are introduced to Harvey Schlossberg, the negotiator who was onsite that day. Along with NYPD Commissioner Benjamin Ward, they tried to convince the police to use nonviolent, psychology-heavy tactics to lure the perpetrators and their hostages out of the store. This is in direct contrast to the other cops depicted, who advocate a “kill-em-all” mentality and have little patience to talk to the offenders.
We also meet some of the hostages, including Rosemary Catalano and Alice Buckner. They watch footage of their own predicament with a sort of reverent nostalgia. The film’s narrative deftly interweaves both those responsible for the situation, the cops dealing with it outside, and those caught in the crossfire. This structure makes for a truly compelling watch.
The documentary would appeal to those public library patrons interested in movies exploring police and crime dynamics, alongside enthusiasts of modern urban history. Additionally, it would fit alongside library shelves focused on crime films, particularly those centered on hostage situations. Psychology students, especially those intrigued by navigating high-pressure scenarios, would find Hold Your Fire particularly engaging.
What makes Hold Your Fire such a hard-hitting documentary is its willingness to confront complex racial issues head-on. Stefan Forbes fearlessly probes the knotted dynamics and tensions surrounding race and law enforcement, refusing to shy away from uncomfortable truths.
What type of library programming could use this title?
This title could be used in library programming focused on crime and police procedures, as well as discussions on psychology and high-pressure situations. It could also be featured in documentary film screenings followed by discussions on urban history and law enforcement tactics.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
Hold Your Fire would be suitable for both public and academic libraries with collections focusing on documentaries, crime films, urban history, psychology, and law enforcement. Professors teaching sociology, African-American studies, and masculinity studies should also consider adding this documentary to their syllabus.
How would a public screening of this film make your organization stand out?
This documentary would showcase your library, university, or community center's commitment to providing thought-provoking and educational viewing to its audience, fostering discussions on important societal issues.
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Director's Bio
Stefan Forbes is the multi-Emmy-nominated writer/director of Hold Your Fire, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and premiered at #1 nationwide on Hulu.com. The New York Times called it “One of the best films of 2022.” Stefan is adapting it as a narrative series with Anonymous Content. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Crime & Justice Documentary, won a Grand Jury Prize at Doc NYC, won the Grand Prize, US Library of Congress Ken Burns Award, and was a finalist for the Humanitas Award.Mr. Forbes also directed Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, about the legendary, controversial political operative. It was a Critic's Pick in The Washington Post, NY Times, and London Sunday Times. The Washington Post called it "One of the greatest political movies ever”.
Forbes has been nominated for the WGA and Emmy Awards, won the National Edward R. Murrow Award, the George S. Polk Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the IDA Emerging Filmmaker Award. As a cinematographer he shot seven feature films, and has produced, written, directed, and edited many award-winning music videos, PSA’s, and social justice videos.
Director's Statement
Hold Your Fire is very personal. In WW2 my Mom was kidnapped as a little Polish girl by Russian soldiers and held captive in a freezing work camp near Siberia until Uganda allowed her family into a refugee camp, years later. Growing up, I felt like a hostage to my Mom’s untreated trauma, like Raheem with his alcoholic Mom, Dr. Harvey Schlossberg with his traumatized grandmother fleeing Russian violence, and NYPD cops and their families suffering untreated grief, violence and alcoholism.
Growing up, I wanted answers. Why was my mother so traumatized? Was there an antidote to violence? I was fascinated by peacemakers with the Zen Master skills to defeat bullets with only words. How did they do it? Working on this film throughout the killings of Michael Brown, Ahmed Arbery, Brionna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others, I was dismayed to learn that most American policemen aren’t trained in Harvey’s ‘defuse and de-escalate’ approach. This has to change.
America tends to glorify macho guys adept at violence, such as heavyweight boxers and Special Forces Ops. I’d like to glorify a 99-pound intellectual police psychologist who upended traditional notions of masculinity and police use of violence. In the words of NYPD Captain Al Baker, who was initially skeptical of Schlossberg: “It was revolutionary. We started to transcend street justice...It’s an internal strength, the opposite of the eternal, explosive strength. That’s true manhood. Violence is a weakness.”
There are challenging and disturbing police interviews in Hold Your Fire. I hope they’ll help spark the messy, difficult, and honest discussions America needs to have to reform our policing and criminal justice.In making this film and my previous one, Boogie Man, about the divisive political strategist Lee Atwater, I’ve come to think of our nation as a dysfunctional family, full of love and compassion along with conflict, trauma, false narratives and toxic denial.
As the specter of coming political violence looms over America, can we hold this family together? Can we follow Harvey’s lead and listen deeply to each other even when we strongly disagree? Can we absorb the truth that “violence is a weakness” and learn to hold our fire? The future of our multicultural democracy may well depend on it.
- Stefan Forbes
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Accolades
“One of the year’s best films…taut, intense.” - RogerEbert.com
"A jaw-dropper." - The New York Times
“Gripping and illuminating” - AP
“Riveting...feels miraculous.” -The Guardian
“All the ingredients of a tense Sidney Lumet thriller” - Screen Daily
“Fiercely urgent” - Variety
“Daring” - Boston Globe
“Probes the dehumanizing police mentality that causes injustice” - POV
“A bona-fide thriller. Places the viewer immediately in a crossfire - not just of bullets, but of rhetoric, worldviews, hasty conclusions, policing-while-angry and all the gun-wielding participants in what was a two-day siege and a racial calamity. It feels as immediate as yesterday.” - Wall St. Journal
"Hold Your Fire is a riveting, powerful and compelling documentary. It will surprise you.” - Arne Duncan, fmr. US Secretary of Education.
"This film is so timely and important. Hold Your Fire brings to life a watershed moment in the history of law enforcement with profound repercussions on policing today. It tells the story of the birth of hostage negotiation and how de-escalation and negotiation can end violent incidents peacefully. As a Black man who joined the NYPD to bring change from within, this film inspires me. As we grapple with racial injustice, police reform, and the violence on our streets, this film is crucial to moving forward together." - Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City
Awards
Winner, Grand Jury Prize, Doc NYC
Nominee, Emmy Award for Outstanding Crime & Justice Doc
Grand Prize Winner, US Library of Congress Ken Burns Award
Finalist, Humanitas Prize
Festival and Special Screenings
Library of Congress
National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum
Boston Mayor’s Office
NYC Department of Probations
Toronto International Film Festival
Doc NYC
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Boston Uncornered Nonprofit Fundraiser
California Association of Hostage Negotiators
Boston Independent Film Festival
Black Movie Hall of Fame, Kansas City
In Creative Company
Pure Nonfiction
Philadelphia Film Society
Morningside Center Restorative Justice Workshop with Daniel Coles
Rooftop Films Bed-Stuy
Common Justice
Civil Rights Heritage Center, Indiana
Chicago Critics Film Festival
Future For Learning Screening Series
New York Association of Hostage Negotiators Conference
LAPD OIG
Palm Springs Film Festival
Doc NYC Competition Screening
Glasgow International Film Festival
Critic’s Choice Awards/Cincinnati
Writer’s Guild of America, East
DEI Community Screening, Gates Performing Arts Center, Hawaii