Column: First-time thoughts on Battle of Aiken event

Re-enactors yelled “Burn baby burn!” as firemen torched a warehouse and church during filming of The Burning of Atlanta shot in the 2020 Battle of Aiken’s combat zone.

This International Television News Productions’ feature is produced and directed by local filmmaker Christopher Forbes. He and his associates have been working on the set for months using both new and salvaged building materials for the specific look.

Since there would be no second chances to shoot, eight camera people documented the scenes with a background of burning structures. Aiken area firemen were behind the scenery with torches to get the fires going safely with safety equipment onsite.

The film’s cast is made up of local CSRA actors including several members of the local Augustan amateur and professional group—the Southeastern Filmmakers—as well as re-enactors filmed during The Battle of Aiken 2020 and The Battle of Broxton Bridge 2020 reenactments.

The World Premier of The Burning of Atlanta is scheduled for June 12 at the Imperial in Augusta. 

Among his many IMBd credits, Forbes has 32 for directing including 2008 release—The Battle of Aiken—which involved civil war battle re-enactments from earlier years.

Copies of that film along several other Forbes’ movies were for sale at the entry to the 2020 event held off Powell Road February 21-23.

Although all members of the public were invited to buy a ticket to the event there was a significant lack of diverse participants and audience in the Saturday afternoon battle. 

It begs this question that certainly needs answers: why don’t non-white Aikenites feel drawn to this historic tradition?