Bobby Seale, Chairman, co-founder and national organizer of the Black Panther Party is producing a biographical feature motion picture which will dramatize his life and the tumultuous 1960’s and 70’s, the era in which the Black Panthers emerged as the prominent revolutionary civil rights movement of it’s time.  Bobby and his partner Stephen Edwards, a filmmaker and former member of the Panthers, have written a screenplay with the title, ‘Seize the Time, The Eighth Defendant.” “Seize the Time” is the title of Bobby’s autobiography, which has sold over one million copies since it was first published in 1970. A studio executive at Fox Search Light Pictures introduced the concept of producing a dramatized feature instead of a traditional documentary to Bobby and Stephen during a meeting one year ago. 

For over thirty-five years, Bobby has been given the privilege of speaking to hundreds of thousands of students on college campuses worldwide. Since the late 1970’s audiences have been mesmerized by Bobby’s charismatic speaking ability as he relates his most personal experiences during a time in American history that helped shape today’s politics.  Bobby talks about the people in the Black Panther Party, their supporters and the various social programs they created; how they prevailed in a world where they were persecuted and their lives and those of their friends and families were threatened. 

The image of Bobby Seale chained, gagged, and bound to a chair in a Chicago courtroom is one that lives in America’s national consciousness. This film tells the story of how he got there, and how he survived. It comes from Bobby Seale’s memories, with his approval and in his voice.  It offers dramatic and essential insights into United States history and the conflicts and contradictions that reverberate to this day.

For the first time, millions of people will have an opportunity to experience these stories in movie theaters across America and the world. As the film’s producers, Bobby and Stephen will coordinate the development and production of the screenplay from written word to motion picture. This will be achieved through the hiring of a professional crew of talented production personnel as well as contracting box office talent to play characters in the film.

With the completion of the screenplay, the project has now entered the pre-production stage. We need funds to complete this critical phase of the production, which prepares the film to be financed and distributed by a major studio.  You, our supporters , can play an essential role in getting this film project financed, produced and into theaters . This passionate, historical, and poignant film can then be seen by generations of people who lived during that period and those who did not.

Our objective is to raise $420,000. The proceeds will be utilized in the following ways:

To create a budget break down of the screenplay; create a shooting schedule that can be executed. 

Design a storyboard of each scene of the screenplay so that the director and cinematographer can design a shooting blue print.

To cast the film with actors whose marketability maximizes the film’s commercial value.

Contributors can donate from $25 to $10,000. For your generous donation you will receive an assortment of gifts that include Bobby Seale’s autobiographies, historical Black Panther Posters, DVD documentaries on the Black Panther Party as well as your own personal DVD of the movie “Seize the Time: The Eighth Defendant” once it’s released. 

If you were part of these times, or know the importance of documenting the struggles and successes of this historical period, or simply want to be part of an exciting life changing project, please contribute.