PROJECTS

Mission-drive media with unparalleled impact.

originals


the american dream and other fairy tales

World Premiere Sundance 2022

The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales

Directed by: Abigail E. Disney & Kathleen Hughes

Year Released: 2022

Abigail Disney looks at America’s dysfunctional and unequal economy and asks why the American Dream has worked for the wealthy, yet is a nightmare for people born with less. Using her family’s story, Disney explores how this systemic injustice took hold and imagines a way toward a more equitable future.

View Film Website

all ears with abigail disney

Podcast Listen Now!

All Ears with Abigail Disney

Year Released: 2020

Abigail E. Disney interviews bold thinkers in the world of arts, politics, academia—people fighting for a more equitable and world with the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired over a lifetime.

 

 

View Film Website

women war & peace ii

Women War & Peace II

Directed by: Eimhear O'Neill, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Geeta Gandbhir, Julia Bacha, Gini Reticker

Year Released: 2019

In a year when women are mobilizing and running for office in unprecedented numbers, WOMEN, WAR & PEACE II returned to PBS in March 2019 in honor of Women’s History Month. The new series demonstrates how some of the biggest international stories of recent memory are shaped by women. An all-female cast of directors present four never-before-told stories about the women who risked their lives for peace, changing history in the process.

View Film Website

on account of sex

On Account of Sex

Directed by: Kathleen Hughes

Year Released: 2016

Phyllis Schlafly honed her political skills in the conservative movement of the 1950s and 1960s, then put them to work to stop the ERA. She traveled the country decrying the proposed amendment, which sought to ensure equal rights for women under law, as “anti-family” and un-American. In the process, she built a coalition of evangelical Christians and political conservatives that influenced the modern conservative movement. Schlafly helped send the ERA down in defeat in 1982, but the battle for equal rights continued. Since then, many of the goals the ERA aimed for have been achieved by other means. And the predictions Schlafly made about what would happen if the amendment succeeded – from women serving in the military to gay rights – have also come to pass.​

View Film Website

the armor of light

Emmy Winner 2017

The Armor of Light

Directed by: Abigail E. Disney

Year Released: 2015

THE ARMOR OF LIGHT, follows the journey of an Evangelical minister trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. The film tracks Reverend Rob Schenck, fixture on the political far right, who breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Along the way, Rev. Schenck meets Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose case has cast a spotlight on “Stand Your Ground” laws. Lucy is on a difficult journey of her own, trying to make sense of her devastating loss while using her grief to effect some kind of viable and effective political action-where so many before her have failed. ARMOR follows these unlikely allies through their trials of conscience, heartbreak and rejection, as they bravely attempt to make others consider America’s gun culture through a moral lens.

View Film Website

the trials of spring

The Trials of Spring

Directed by: Gini Reticker

Year Released: 2015

The promise of change spread like wildfire across the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 as men and women stood shoulder to shoulder chanting a simple yet galvanizing slogan: “bread, freedom and social justice for all.” Decades-old repressive regimes fell amid a swell of unity and optimism in the region.

But almost immediately following the fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, women became targets of sexual and physical violence at public protests. The Trials of Spring follows the ensuing fight undertaken by three Egyptian women — Hend Nafea, Khadiga Hennawi, and Mariam Kirollos — to ensure that the goals of the Arab Spring include everyone. They are willing to risk everything in pursuit of their vision.

At the center of the film is the story of Hend Nafea. From a college activist to a central protest figure sexually assaulted by the military, she is determined to seek justice in the courts. Despite criticisms from her conservative family and a meandering bureaucracy, she remains resolute in her vision of freedom: “ nation without torture is a dream that can come true” she says.

The Trials of Spring offers razor-sharp insight into the disturbing and troubled story of Egypt after the Arab Spring, the human rights abuses that came to define it, and the bold women fighting for justice and freedom despite every effort to silence them.

View Film Website

women, war & peace

Women, War & Peace

Year Released: 2011

This page is about the original Women, War & Peace series from 2011. If you’re looking for Women, War & Peace II that aired on PBS in March 2019, click here!

What if you looked at war as though women mattered? What if you looked at peace as though women mattered? These two questions were at the heart of the critically acclaimed PBS five-part special series, Women, War & Peace which aired in 2011. The series has since been exhibited in over 72 countries and has sparked a robust dialogue across the globe about the critical importance of women to insuring lasting peace.

Filmed in conflict zones in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia, and Liberia, the original Women, War & Peace series was created by Abigail E. Disney, Pamela Hogan, Gini Reticker, and was a co-production of THIRTEEN and Fork Films in association with WNET and ITVS.

View Film Website

pray the devil back to hell

Pray the Devil Back to Hell

Directed by: Gini Reticker

Year Released: 2008

PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. Thousands of women — ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim — came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war. Their actions were a critical element in bringing about an agreement during the stalled peace talks. A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.

View Film Website

grantees


fire through dry grass

Fire Through Dry Grass

Directed by: Andres "Jay" Molina, Alexis Neophytides

Year Released: 2023

Year Funded: 2021

Fire Through Dry Grass uncovers in real-time the devastation experienced by residents of a New York City nursing home during the coronavirus pandemic. Co-director Andres “Jay” Molina takes viewers inside Coler, a public facility on Roosevelt Island, where he lives with his fellow “Reality Poets,” a group of mostly gun violence survivors. They used to travel around the city sharing their art and hard-earned wisdom with youth. Now, using GoPros clamped to their wheelchairs, they document their harrowing experiences on “lock down.” Covid-positive patients are moved into their bedrooms; nurses fashion PPE out of garbage bags; refrigerated-trailer morgues hum outside residents’ windows. All the while public officials deny the suffering and dying behind Coler’s brick walls. The Reality Poets’ rhymes flow throughout the film, underscoring their feelings that their home is now as dangerous as the streets they once ran. But instead of history repeating itself on this tiny island with a dark history of institutional neglect and abandonment, Fire Through Dry Grass shows these disabled Black and brown artists refusing to be abused, confined, erased.

VIEW PROJECT

confessions of a good samaritan

Confessions of a Good Samaritan

Directed by: Penny Lane

Year Released: 2023

Year Funded: 2021

Director Penny Lane’s decision to become a “good Samaritan” by giving one of her kidneys to a stranger turns into a funny and moving personal quest to understand the nature of altruism. “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” is a provocative inquiry into the science, history, and ethics of organ transplantation, asking an ancient question in a whole new way: Who is your neighbor, and what do you owe them?

VIEW PROJECT

going to mars: the nikki giovanni project

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

Directed by: Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster

Year Released: 2023

Year Funded: 2018

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project recounts the story of acclaimed poet, Nikki Giovanni and the revolutionary historical periods through which she lived—from the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movement, to present-day Black Lives Matter. Combining visually innovative treatments of her poetry, along with intimate vérité, rich archival footage, and Giovanni’s own captivating contemporary performances, Going to Mars pushes the boundaries of biographical documentary film to reveal the enduring influence of one of America’s greatest living artists and social commentators.

VIEW PROJECT

how to have an american baby

How to Have an American Baby

Directed by: Leslie Tai

Year Released: 2023

Year Funded: 2018

There is a city in Southern California that is teeming with pregnant women from China. How to Have an American Baby is a kaleidoscopic voyage, told through multiple perspectives, into the booming shadow economy catering to Chinese birth tourists who travel to the U.S. on birthing vacations in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for their babies.

VIEW PROJECT

razing liberty square

Razing Liberty Square

Directed by: Katja Esson

Year Released: 2023

Year Funded: 2021

Miami is ground-zero for sea-level-rise. When residents of the Liberty Square public-housing community learn about a $300 million revitalization project in 2015, they soon discover that this sudden interest comes from the fact that their neighborhood is located on the highest-and-driest ground in the city. Now they must prepare to fight a new form of racial injustice – Climate Gentrification

VIEW PROJECT

body parts

Body Parts

Directed by: Kristy Guevara-Flanagan

Year Released: 2022

Year Funded: 2018

Body Parts is a documentary feature exploring the nude female body in Hollywood media—hyper-sexualized, under attack, exploited on- and off- screen. From a wide range of perspectives, the film examines how actresses protect their bodies, how studios push back, and how unions have fought for better standards. The film also looks at how the female and queer gaze are redefining desire and sexuality. From the first body doubles in the 1920s to the digital enhancements of the internet age, the film asks: when scenes are about sex, to whom are they sexy? By what standards? How do race, age and body type factor in?

VIEW PROJECT

my name is andrea

My Name is Andrea

Directed by: Pratibha Parmar

Year Released: 2022

Year Funded: 2020

My Name Is Andrea is the story of controversial feminist writer and public intellectual Andrea Dworkin, who offered a revolutionary analysis of male supremacy with iconoclastic flair. Decades before #MeToo, Dworkin called out the pervasiveness of sexism and rape culture, and the ways it impacts every woman’s daily life.

VIEW PROJECT

storming caesars palace

Storming Caesars Palace

Directed by: Hazel Gurland-Pooler

Year Released: 2022

Year Funded: 2021

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas — until now. When Ruby Duncan faces the stigma and harassment of a fraud-obsessed and broken system, she ignites “Mother Power” — a fiery combination of Feminism and Civil Rights activism — mobilizing a welfare rights group to march down the Strip demanding an adequate income in 1971. Unearthing archival film and featuring a cast who played pivotal roles in these events, this film chronicles the journey of low-income mothers in their own words. Challenging the pernicious lie of the “Welfare Queen,” Storming Caesars Palace highlights the visionary leadership of Black women organizers whose courage, tenacity and dreams could not be quashed, against all odds.

VIEW PROJECT

anonymous sister

Anonymous Sister

Directed by: Jamie Boyle

Year Released: 2021

Year Funded: 2020

When a young woman turns to the camera for refuge, she ends up with a firsthand account of what will become the deadliest man-made epidemic in United States history. Filmed over thirty years, Anonymous Sister is director, Jamie Boyle’s chronicle of her family’s fall into opioid addiction, providing a poignant and timely study of what it means to experience life in all its beauty and pain.

VIEW PROJECT

apart

Apart

Directed by: Jennifer Redfearn

Year Released: 2021

Year Funded: 2018

The number of women in U.S. prisons has grown by 800% over the past 40 years. And the vast majority are mothers. In a Midwestern state caught between the opioid epidemic and rising incarceration for women, three unforgettable mothers—Tomika, Lydia, and Amanda— return home from prison and rebuild their lives after being separated from their children for years. Their stories overlap at a new reentry program for women, run by Malika, an advocate formerly incarcerated in the same prison. Filmed over 3 ½ years, APART traces their steps as they reconstruct lives derailed by drugs and prison.

VIEW PROJECT

black snow

Black Snow

Directed by: Alina Simone

Year Funded: 2021

When residents of a remote Siberian coal mining settlement discover an old Soviet mine has caught fire beneath their neighborhood, they turn to Natalia Zubkova, a local homemaker-turned-journalist, for help. But when her independent news coverage starts going viral, they instead find themselves the targets of a massive government disinformation campaign, forcing Natalia to embark on a dangerous and revelatory quest to reveal the full extent of the environmental catastrophe unfolding in their midst.A taut and revelatory thriller told through the eyes of a maverick citizen journalist which promises to shine new light on the human cost of coal.

VIEW PROJECT

boycott

Boycott

Directed by: Julia Bacha

Year Released: 2021

Year Funded: 2020

Boycotts have long been a tool used by Americans rallying for social and political change, from civil rights leaders to anti-apartheid activists. But in recent years, 33 U.S. states have introduced anti-boycott legislation or executive orders designed to penalize individuals and companies who choose to boycott Israel due to its human rights record. Boycott looks at the cases of a news publisher in Arkansas, an attorney in Arizona, and a speech therapist in Texas whose careers are threatened by the harsh measures of these new laws. A legal thriller with “accidental plaintiffs” at the center, the film is a bracing look at the far-reaching implications of anti-boycott legislation and an inspiring tale of everyday Americans standing up to protect our rights in an age of shifting politics and threats to freedom of speech.

VIEW PROJECT

how to build a library

How To Build A Library

Directed by: Maia Lekow, Christopher King

Year Funded: 2021

In 2018, Shiro (writer) and Wachuka (publisher) quit their jobs to restore a derelict colonial library in bustling downtown Nairobi. Horrified at the condition of the historical, state-owned building, they successfully lobbied city officials to take-over management of the junk-filled library. With zero experience in building, the pair find themselves with a mammoth task ahead. But with an undying passion for books, and a unique flair for glamour, instagram, and finding funds where least expected, they activate an army of homegrown artists, intellectuals, tech developers, architects and writers, all energised to transform the space into a technological hub of creativity and learning for future generations. They call it Book Bunk.

VIEW PROJECT

listen to me

Listen To Me

Directed by: Stephanie Etienne, Kanika Harris

Year Funded: 2021

Listen to Me is the story of four women and the cost of motherhood. These women stand at the frontlines of the Black maternal health struggle as birth workers and public health experts while walking the delicate tight rope through pregnancy. This is a story of the deep complexities and troubling challenges black women experience when attempting to birth children in the United States. Beyond dismal statistics, Listen to Me centers the joy, voices, and spirit of Black women.

VIEW PROJECT

mija

Mija

Directed by: Isabel Castro

Year Funded: 2021

Doris Muñoz is an ambitious music manager whose undocumented family depends on her ability to discover aspiring pop stars. At just 26, she has already launched multiple Chicanx musicians, carving out space for her culture within a turbulent industry. ‘Mija’ dives into the world of a young woman hustling harder than anyone else, because for Doris and her family, “making it” isn’t just a dream—it’s a necessity.

VIEW PROJECT

my people, my land

My People, My Land

Directed by: Jialing Zhang

Year Funded: 2021

Chinese investors create one of the largest industrial zones in West Africa, where thousands of locals earn their livelihood at the risk of losing what they value most – sacred land, religious practices, and identity. Through verité scenes, the film follows both Chinese investors who dream of turning a backwater town into West Africa’s manufacturing epicenter and local community leaders who question the high price of survival in a country of profound inequity.

VIEW PROJECT

reality winner

Reality Winner

Directed by: Sonia Kennebeck

Year Released: 2021

Year Funded: 2020

The incredible true story of Reality Winner in her own words. Filmed over five years, this is the only documentary about the young NSA whistleblower who exposed Russian interference in U.S. elections – and went to jail for it. With exclusive access to Reality Winner and the media outlet involved in her arrest, this film also reveals FBI evidence never before released. 
VIEW PROJECT

simple as water

Simple As Water

Directed by: Megan Mylan

Year Released: 2021

Year Funded: 2018

Epic in scope, but intimate in feel Simple As Water is a meditation on the elemental bonds of family. Portraits of Syrian families now living in Turkey, Greece, Germany, Syria and the US form a finely rendered illustration of the human cost of war, and the lengths we go to protect our loved ones.

VIEW PROJECT

sisters act

Sisters Act

Directed by: Dea Gjinovci, Antoine Goldet

Year Funded: 2021

In this film, set in Italy, we follow Sister Raquel, a woman who works on the front-line of the battle against human trafficking, helping survivors gain back their freedom, from rescue operations to long-term rehabilitation. Raquel works with an entire network of religious sisters across the Mediterranean. Together, they’ve come to form an unlikely sorority with women survivors of sexual slavery; the strength of their bond endures across differences.Sisters Act follows fearless religious sisters forming a network to end sexual slavery, challenging the dark and abusive rings of traffickers who exploit women internationally.

VIEW PROJECT

standing above the clouds

Standing Above The Clouds

Directed by: Jalena Keane-Lee

Year Funded: 2021

Standing Above the Clouds follows the largest political movement in modern Hawaiian history and the indigenous women leaders who have successfully sustained it for so long. At the center of the global movement to protect Mauna Kea are the families of Pua Case, Leina’ala Sleightholm, and Mehana Kihoi. To prevent the building of the world’s largest telescope on their sacred mountain, all three families have put their bodies on the line, faced arrest standing off with police, and testified as key petitioners suing the state of Hawaiʻi. Through the lens of mothers and daughters, the film explores intergenerational healing and the social and emotional labor of retaining ancient ceremonies in a rapidly modernizing world.

VIEW PROJECT

9to5: the story of a movement

9to5: The Story of a Movement

Directed by: Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar

Year Released: 2020

Year Funded: 2017

In the early 1970s, secretaries across America, fed up with low pay and disrespect, took to the streets and formed a movement, calling it 9 to 5.
VIEW PROJECT

belly of the beast

Belly of the Beast

Directed by: Erika Cohn

Year Released: 2020

Year Funded: 2017

Belly of the Beast intimately chronicles the journey of women fighting reproductive injustice in their communities.

VIEW PROJECT

black mothers

Black Mothers

Directed by: Debora Souza Silva

Year Funded: 2020

Violence. Outrage. Impunity. Repeat. Black Mothers follows the journey of two women working to disrupt the cycle of racist police violence within our country’s judicial system. As one mother investigates her son’s attack by local police, the other channels her grief into organizing other mothers to fight for concrete change and justice.

VIEW PROJECT

crip camp: a disability revolution

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE 2021

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

Directed by: Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht

Year Released: 2020

Year Funded: 2018

They came as campers, and left as rebels. Just down the road from Woodstock, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a parallel revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers. Crip Camp explores summer camp awakenings that would transform young lives, and America, forever. Told from the point of view of former camper Jim LeBrecht, the film traces the journeys of several teenagers from camp to the raucous early days of the disability rights movement – and up to the present, in this compelling and untold story of a powerful journey towards inclusion.

VIEW PROJECT

disclosure: trans lives on screen

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

Directed by: Sam Feder

Year Released: 2020

Year Funded: 2018

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen is an unprecedented, groundbreaking look at the depiction of transgender people and experiences throughout the history of film and television. Over 100 years of footage, from A Florida Enchantment (1914) to Pose (2018), is woven together with the personal stories of prominent media figures like Laverne Cox, revealing how Hollywood has simultaneously reflected and manufactured our deepest anxieties about gender. Through the specific lens of trans representation on screen, Disclosure shows both the consequences of depicting marginalized communities without their participation, and the liberatory potential of the medium when their voices are centered.

VIEW PROJECT

for the love of rutland

For the Love of Rutland

Directed by: Jennifer Taylor

Year Released: 2020

Year Funded: 2017

In a small blue-collar city in Vermont, Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras and a passionate group of volunteers lead the fight to resettle Syrian refugees in their town. The Rutland community sharply divides into those who embrace resettlement as an engine for economic growth and new diversity for a white and graying town, and those who fear majority-Muslim newcomers will seed terrorism and drain social services. Closely following Chris and an evolving ensemble of intersecting characters over two years, For the Love of Rutland explores what happens what changes – and what doesn’t – when small-town America meets the Syrian civil war.

VIEW PROJECT

love & stuff

Love & Stuff

Directed by: Judith Helfand

Year Funded: 2020

Love & Stuff is a multi-generational love story that starts with a good death, takes off with an unexpected birth, and commits to the ride of a lifetime. Told from both sides of the camera and a thirty-year archive of “home movies” documenting life cycle challenges and universal rights of passage, filmmaker Judith Helfand, together with her mother Florence and long-awaited adopted daughter Theo, explores evolutionary life-changing love, grief, our complex attachment to “stuff,” and what it is that we really want to leave our children.

VIEW PROJECT

mayor

Mayor

Directed by: David Osit

Year Released: 2020

Year Funded: 2020

Mayor is a real-life political saga following Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city’s Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine.

VIEW PROJECT

the burning

The Burning

Directed by: Dr. Isabella Alexander-Nathani

Year Funded: 2020

9,000 miles. 3 families. 1 chance to escape. As the European Union works in violation of human rights law to transform North African countries into brutal holding cells for those fleeing war and poverty across the African continent, The Burning brings the untold story of Africa’s migrant and refugee crisis to life for the first time.

VIEW PROJECT

untitled annie mae aquash documentary

Untitled Annie Mae Aquash Documentary

Directed by: Yvonne Russo

Year Funded: 2020

Exploring the unsolved murder of celebrated Indigenous activist Annie Mae Aquash, we uncover a mysterious and complicated web of deception spun over the course of several decades. Annie Mae is one of thousands who make up the staggering number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. By reframing her story, the film hopes to shed light on this current epidemic.

VIEW PROJECT

women of the mountain

Women of the Mountain

Directed by: Rebecca Byerly

Year Funded: 2020

A film on female ultra-marathoners takes a haunting turn when director Rebecca Byerly turns the camera on herself – and the deadly family violence that caused her to start running 200-mile races. By turns, a meditation on endurance and a deep inquiry into the nature of family trauma, this film goes to the heart of what women will do to survive.

VIEW PROJECT

ernie & joe: crisis cops

Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops

Directed by: Jenifer McShane

Year Released: 2019

Year Funded: 2017

Ernie & Joe is an intimate portrait of two Texas police officers who are helping change the way police respond to mental health calls.  The film takes audiences on a personal journey, weaving together their experiences during their daily encounters with people in crisis. These two officers are not your everyday cops. They are part of the San Antonio Police Department’s 10-person Mental Health Unit.

VIEW PROJECT

alabamaland

Alabamaland

Directed by: April Dobbins

Year Funded: 2018

Jones Farm is a lush, 688-acre farm situated in the heart of western Alabama. Three generations of black women explore their very different ties to this place that shaped them and continues to exert a strange hold on their identities. This is the same plot of land that their ancestors once worked as slaves—a history that is important to their identities and to how they navigate the world.

VIEW PROJECT

amal

Amal

Directed by: Mohamed Siam

Year Funded: 2018

Amal is a feisty teenager growing up in post-revolution Egypt while they’re both undergoing a tremendous change. Within a constant political turmoil, Amal searches for her place, identity, and sexuality in a patriarchal society. Amal, whose name literally translates to “hope”, is embarking on a 6-year compelling journey from childhood to adulthood. Along the way, she realizes her limited options as a woman living in an Arab police state.

VIEW PROJECT

el retorno /the return

El Retorno /The Return

Directed by: Luz Zamora

Year Funded: 2018

El Retorno /The Return is the story of Aura Taibel, an immigrant woman with a gut-wrenching backstory who arrived in the U.S. to work, to forge a new path in her life. The film follows Aura during her last months in New York before joining the wave of Colombians returning home since peace was declared.

VIEW PROJECT

midnight traveler

Midnight Traveler

Directed by: Hassan Fazili

Year Funded: 2018

When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing their uncertain journey, Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run.

VIEW PROJECT

once upon a time in uganda

Once Upon a Time in Uganda

Directed by: Cathryne Czubek and Hugo Perez

Year Funded: 2018

As a child growing up during Uganda’s civil war, Isaac Nabwana escaped into American action movies. As an adult making bricks for a living, he decided one day to abandon brick making to make action movies, and turned his home in the slum into “Wakaliwood,” Uganda’s first action movie studio. When the trailer for their first action movie, Who Killed Captain Alex, goes viral, it attracts the attention of film nerd Alan Hofmanis who shows up unannounced on Isaac’s doorstep one day. With Alan’s marketing skills, they attract international attention and press from all over the world. But their newfound celebrity soon threatens to unravel everything that they’ve built.

VIEW PROJECT

one child nation

One Child Nation

Directed by: Nanfu Wang and Lynn Zhang

Year Funded: 2018

First-time mother and filmmaker Nanfu Wang uncovers the untold history of China’s One-Child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.

VIEW PROJECT

rajada dalka nations hope

Rajada Dalka Nations Hope

Directed by: Hana Mire

Year Funded: 2018

If playing ball meant risking your life…what would you do?

Diving deep inside the Somali National Women’s basketball team’s first season of since the civil war, former basketball players Mulki Nuur and Suad Galow shepherds their team of fearless young women to overcome violent threats and reclaim their place on the international stage.

VIEW PROJECT

represent

Represent

Directed by: Hillary Bachelder

Year Funded: 2018

Represent follows three parallel stories of women stepping up for the first time to run for local office across the Midwest: Myya Jones, a 22-year-old recent graduate running for Mayor of Detroit, Bryn Bird, a produce farmer in rural Ohio fighting for progressive values as township trustee, and Julie Cho, a first-generation Korean American running on the Republican ticket in Illinois. With behind-the-scenes verité and thought-provoking archival, Represent sets these deeply personal stories of triumph and tragedy against a backdrop of the current women’s movement for equal representation in our democracy.

VIEW PROJECT

the rashomon effect

The Rashomon Effect

Directed by: Lyric R Cabral

Year Funded: 2018

What happened when unarmed Black teen Michael Brown was fatally shot by White police officer Darren Wilson?

VIEW PROJECT

wednesdays in mississippi

Wednesdays in Mississippi

Directed by: Marlene McCurtis

Year Funded: 2018

In the summer of 1964 a quiet revolution began in Mississippi when a group of Black and White women reached across the chasm of race, class, geography, and religion to end segregation in America. This quiet revolution was called “Wednesdays in Mississippi.” The story of these brave women has never been told. It is a story of courage, danger, and transformation. The one hour documentary film Wednesdays in Mississippi will finally tell their story.

VIEW PROJECT

62 days

62 Days

Directed by: Rebecca Haimowitz

Year Funded: 2017

62 Days is a documentary film about Marlise Muñoz, a brain-dead pregnant woman whose family was forced to keep her on life support against her wishes. This film shows the human story behind the headlines, and shines a light on a controversial law.

VIEW PROJECT

93queen

93Queen

Directed by: Paula Eiselt

Year Funded: 2017

93Queen follows a group of tenacious Hasidic women who are shattering the glass ceiling in their Hasidic Brooklyn neighborhood to create the first all-female volunteer EMS corps in NYC.

VIEW PROJECT

dispatches from cleveland

Dispatches from Cleveland

Directed by: Catherine Gund

Year Funded: 2017

Dispatches from Cleveland is a feature-length documentary in five parts that closely examines the city of Cleveland, Ohio, one of the most racially divided cities in America, in the wake of the police murder of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. The film follows ordinary people – long shaken by police misconduct, social discrimination, and poverty – whose love for their home pushes them to work together to bring about real change.

VIEW PROJECT

for ahkeem

For Ahkeem

Directed by: Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest

Year Funded: 2017

Beginning one year before the events in Ferguson, Missouri, Levine and Van Soest’s intimate and cinematic For Ahkeem is the coming of age story of 17-year-old Daje Shelton in neighboring North St. Louis. Falling in love and fighting with mom, Daje struggles with typical teen growing pains, but also must increasingly combat the institutional and social roadblocks that keep black teens like her from succeeding in America.

VIEW PROJECT

i am evidence

I Am Evidence

Directed by: Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir

Year Funded: 2017

Every year, hundreds of rape kits containing DNA evidence are left untested by police around the country. Over 175,000 kits have been uncovered to date, resting in backlogs and storage facilities, each of them an unsolved case. Currently, only eight states (Georgia, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York) have passed laws requiring that rape kits be tested by police. As a result, decades worth of kits have been shelved, perpetrators remaining free and victims ignored, the potentially crucial evidence left to languish.

VIEW PROJECT

leftover women

Leftover Women

Directed by: Shosh Shlam, Hilla Medalia

Year Funded: 2017

China’s one-child policy has created an untenable situation for many stigmatized single women who are under immense pressure from society, from families afraid of losing face, and from a government desperate to maintain population numbers. Filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia explore this phenomenon, from the spectacle of awkward public dating contests and government sponsored matchmaking festivals to parents’ marriage markets and excruciating family encounters. Leftover Women is a poignant and ultimately hopeful profile of three brave women seeking to define life and love on their own terms.

VIEW PROJECT

louisiana justice

Louisiana Justice

Directed by: Tom Casciato

Year Funded: 2017

In America’s capital of wrongful conviction, a man is imprisoned at 19 for a murder and rape he didn’t commit – and spends nearly a quarter century fighting to be freed.

VIEW PROJECT

muhi - generally temporary

Muhi - Generally Temporary

Directed by: Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander, Tamir Elterman

Year Funded: 2017

Muhi, a brave and spirited boy from Gaza has been living in an Israeli hospital accompanied by his grandfather for the last 7 years.

VIEW PROJECT

one bullet afghanistan

One Bullet Afghanistan

Directed by: Carol Dysinger

Year Funded: 2017

In One Bullet Afghanistan, a filmmaker embedded with the military befriends the mother of an Afghan civilian casualty, a 14-year-old boy shot by unidentified forces. Over many years she follows Bibi Hajji, fighting for her family’s survival on the real frontlines of America’s longest war.

VIEW PROJECT

pc594: the art of rebellion

PC594: The Art of Rebellion

Directed by: Libby Spears

Year Funded: 2017

The Art of Rebellion is a film that follows LA-based street artist, activist, and single mother, Lydia Emily, as she defies a crippling diagnosis that threatens to take away her livelihood. Fighting against an unforgiving healthcare system while she battles the symptoms of progressive multiple sclerosis, Lydia ties paintbrushes to her failing hands to create large-scale works of creative resistance.

VIEW PROJECT

same god

Same God

Directed by: Linda Midgett

Year Funded: 2017

In 2016, a black, female professor at Wheaton College, IL lost her job for wearing a hijab and claiming that Christians and Muslims worship the “Same God.” The ensuing controversy exposed the simmering rifts within evangelical Christians over race, Islamophobia and gender… foreshadowing the even deeper schism over Donald Trump and the shocking presidential election.

VIEW PROJECT

the 8th

The 8th

Directed by: Aideen Kane, Lucy Kennedy, Maeve O'Boyle

Year Funded: 2017

The 8th tells the story of how Ireland overturned one of the world’s most restrictive laws on abortion. The film embeds in Together for Yes campaign HQ following veteran campaigner Ailbhe Smyth as she navigates the complexities of convincing a historically conservative electorate to vote for women’s reproductive autonomy. The film also follows nail-bar owner and self-described glam-artist Andrea Horan who takes a less orthodox approach to feminist organizing. The vérité of the campaign is framed by a vivid exploration of the political and cultural history that charts the transformation of a country.

VIEW PROJECT

the infiltrators

The Infiltrators

Directed by: Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera

Year Funded: 2017

When two young immigrant-activists get detained by Border Patrol, on purpose, their mission to expose the abuses inside a detention center becomes much more complex and dangerous than they imagined…

VIEW PROJECT

when i say africa

When I Say Africa

Directed by: Cassandra Herrman

Year Funded: 2017

When I Say Africa follows a young American in Africa and a Kenyan activist in the U.S. as they question the mission to “save” Africa, and investigate the consequences of our good will.
VIEW PROJECT

$2 a day

$2 a Day

Directed by: Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger

Year Funded: 2016

Based on the award-winning book $2 A Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin and Luke Shaefer, the film examines a level of extreme poverty in America that most people don’t think exists.
VIEW PROJECT

a thousand girls like me

A Thousand Girls Like Me

Directed by: Sahra Mani

Year Funded: 2016

When a 23-year-old Afghan woman, Khatera, confronts the will of her family and the traditions of her country to seek justice for years of sexual abuse from her father, she sheds light on the faulty Afghan judicial system and the women it rarely protects. One woman’s obstinate battle to make her voice heard demonstrates the power of action over fear.
VIEW PROJECT

after fire

After Fire

Directed by: Brittany Huckabee

Year Funded: 2016

One in five new recruits to the U.S. armed forces is a woman, and women are the fastest growing group of veterans. Set in the military outpost of San Antonio, Texas, After Fire offers an intimate look at the challenges these women face when they return from service. The film’s central character, Valerie, is a retired Air Force military police officer who now works as a mental health counselor. As she seeks to help other veterans with hidden wounds, she realizes she must confront her own past – leading an ensemble cast of women on a journey of healing with honesty, courage and humor. The resulting film throws a spotlight on the human toll of problems like rape in the military, combat injuries and VA dysfunction, telling a universal story about how people overcome trauma.
VIEW PROJECT

blowin' up

Blowin' Up

Directed by: Stephanie Wang-Breal

Year Funded: 2016

Blowin’ Up (formerly Imitation of Choice) is the story of an innovative human trafficking court, the compassionate 53-year-old Japanese-American judge who runs it, and the women who pass through its doors every day. Arrested in police raids for prostitution-related offenses, the women in Judge Toko Serita’s court are presented with three options: plead guilty to a criminal offense, fight the charge, or take the state’s offer to attend a handful of counseling sessions and get their record wiped clean. Through raw and intimate cinéma vérité storytelling, Blowin’ Up invites audiences to witness the growing pains of this emerging court, and explores how we define trafficking and prostitution from the perspectives of the criminal justice system, the social welfare system, and, most importantly, the women and girls who are at the center of it all.

VIEW PROJECT

call her ganda

Call Her Ganda

Directed by: PJ Raval

Year Funded: 2016

Grassroots activists in the Philippines are spurred into action when a local transgender woman is found dead in a motel room with a 19-year-old U.S. marine as the leading suspect. As they demand answers and a just trial, hidden histories of U.S. colonization come bubbling to the surface.
VIEW PROJECT

even when i fall

Even When I Fall

Directed by: Sky Neal and Dara McLarnon

Year Funded: 2016

Even When I Fall tells the story of three remarkable young Nepali women, all survivors of human trafficking into corrupt big-top circuses across India. They met as teenagers in a Kathmandu refuge after they had been rescued and it is here that we begin our story – in the often overlooked aftermath of a childhood spent in captivity and forced labour. They were inadvertently left with a secret weapon by their captors – their breathtaking skill as circus performers. Even When I Fall traces their journey as they work hard with 10 other survivors of human trafficking to build Circus Kathmandu – Nepal’s first and only circus – following their stories as they face the families that sold them and seek acceptance within their own communities. With Circus Kathmandu they discover a new strength, pride and something more: a sense of responsibility that comes with the stage – to use the crowd’s attention to spread a message, to educate against trafficking. Quickly their work grows to an international stage – from the rich beauty of the Kathmandu Valley, through the dusty poverty-stricken border towns of the Terai plains and finally to the bright lights and crowds of the famous Big Top at England’s spectacular Glastonbury Festival. The film witnesses three remarkable young women finding their voices as campaigners against human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
VIEW PROJECT

good ol girl

Good Ol Girl

Directed by: Sarah Brennan Kolb

Year Funded: 2016

According to a study conducted by Lincoln Financial, by 2033 there will not be a single ranch operator under the age of 50. The majority of the current ranching generation’s eldest sons are leaving the family business for bigger, better-paying jobs in the city. The ranching way of life is quickly disappearing. Nowhere is this greater felt than in Texas – a state built on the dirt, gumption, and lore of the West. Because of this, there is a steady rise of Texas women inheriting family ranches from their fathers. A greying, often prejudiced generation must make way for a new, significantly more diverse group that it doesn’t understand. With its distinctly iconic American landscape and folkloric characters, ranching is the most cinematic allegory for America as a whole. If Texas Ranching dies out because of insurmountable intolerance, so might America.
VIEW PROJECT

liyana

Liyana

Directed by: Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp

Year Funded: 2016

A talented group of orphaned children in the Kingdom of Swaziland confront past trauma through the creation of a fictional character, a young girl named Liyana. The world that they imagine for her is brought to life in a unique style of animation. Drawing from painful memories, the children describe a violent attack at Liyana’s home. In the aftermath of this terrible night, Liyana must embark on a dangerous quest into the wilderness. Profound insight is revealed as the children shape their heroine’s mythic journey, and parallels are drawn between Liyana’s fate, and that of the young storytellers.

VIEW PROJECT

love the sinner

Love the Sinner

Directed by: Jessica Devaney and Geeta Gandbhir

Year Funded: 2016

In the wake of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Evangelical Christians grapple with their relationship to the LGBTQ community.

Queer filmmaker Jessica Devaney grew up deeply immersed in Evangelical Christianity in Florida. After breaking with her youth as a nationally recognized activist and leader among conservative Evangelicals, Jessica left Florida and didn’t look back. She built a life that took her as far away from home as possible. Over time, her daily life became a progressive echo chamber.

The mass shooting at Pulse was a wake up call. By avoiding hard conversations with church leadership, had she missed opportunities to challenge homophobia?

Love the Sinner probes our responsibility to face bias in our communities and push for dignity and equality for all.

VIEW PROJECT

the way madness lies

The Way Madness Lies

Directed by: Sandra Luckow

Year Funded: 2016

Duanne Luckow begins a scary, dangerous and ever-escalating cycle of arrests, incarcerations, Mental institutional stays including Oregon State Hospital (The setting of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), an inability to aid and assist in his own defense and releases to the streets without a plan. Until court ordered, he exercises his right to refuse treatment. HIPPA laws intended to protect his privacy, inadvertently cuts off his most ardent advocates from access to him, leaving him vulnerable to an overburdened system. Serendipitous events and coincidences gave documentary filmmaker, Sandra Luckow, access to intimate and illuminating footage because Duanne is her brother. With their cameras, they expose an ineffectual and inhuman system as well as themselves.

VIEW PROJECT

cooked: survival by zipcode

Cooked: Survival by Zipcode

Directed by: Judith Helfand

Year Funded: 2015

In Cooked: Survival by Zipcode, filmmaker Judith Helfand takes audiences from one of the most extreme heat waves in US history deep into the politics of disaster.

VIEW PROJECT

drawing the tiger

Drawing the Tiger

Directed by: Amy Benson and Scott Squire

Year Funded: 2015

Filmed over seven years, Drawing the Tiger is an intimate portrait of a family in Nepal who get a chance to break their cycle of poverty: Their brightest child is awarded a scholarship to attend school in the city. When her life ends tragically, the family is forced to survive without her and her education—the opportunity they believed would change their fate. It is the story of the power of girls’ education from the perspective of its absence.

** 2015 Hot Docs Film Festival

VIEW PROJECT

girl unbound: the war to be her

Girl Unbound: The War to Be Her

Directed by: Erin Heidenreich

Year Funded: 2015

Her home is “the most dangerous place on earth,” where sports are decried as un-Islamic, and girls rarely leave their homes. But she did. She’s a world-renowned athlete and a flashpoint in her country’s battle over feminine identity.  She is Maria Toorpakai Wazir, the young woman known as Genghis Khan.

VIEW PROJECT

hard hatted woman

Hard Hatted Woman

Directed by: Lorien Barlow

Year Funded: 2015

A feature documentary film about women breaking down gender barriers in blue-collar construction trades.

VIEW PROJECT

massacre river

Massacre River

Directed by: Suzan Beraza

Year Funded: 2015

Each year, millions of tourists flock to the Dominican Republic for a taste of tropical paradise and for one of the island’s main attractions: sex. Massacre River tells the story of two women, a Haitian sex worker and a Dominican prostitute-turned-activist, as they strive to build better lives for their families. Through their stories, we discover the racial tension and violent demonstrations that have erupted recently as two nations, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, attempt to share the island of Hispaniola.

VIEW PROJECT

netizens

Netizens

Directed by: Cynthia Lowen

Year Funded: 2015

What happens when the place where you work, socialize, love and play becomes toxic? Netizens chronicles the proliferation of online harassment and abuse women journalists, technologists, game developers and others face as it spills from the web to the most intimate corners of their lives.

VIEW PROJECT

roll red roll

Roll Red Roll

Directed by: Nancy Schwartzman

Year Funded: 2015

Go behind the headlines of notorious high school sexual assault to witness the social media fueled “boys will be boys” culture that let it happen. In small-town Ohio, at a pre-season football party, a horrible incident took place. What transpired would garner national attention and result in the sentencing of two key offenders. As amateur crime blogger Alex Goddard uncovers disturbing evidence on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, documenting the assault of a teenage girl by members of the beloved high school football team, questions linger around the collusion of teen and adult bystanders.  Roll Red Roll explores the complex motivations of both perpetrators and bystanders in this story, to unearth the attitudes at the core of their behavior. The Steubenville story acts as a cautionary tale of what can happen when adults look the other way and deny that rape culture exists. With unprecedented access to police documents, exhibits and evidence, the documentary feature unflinchingly asks: “why didn’t anyone stop it?”
VIEW PROJECT

shivani

Shivani

Directed by: Jamie Dobie

Year Funded: 2015

The parents of a three-year old girl in India believe her to be the reincarnation of their son, and train her to become an Olympic archery champion.

VIEW PROJECT

the arrivals

The Arrivals

Directed by: Heidi Ewing

Year Funded: 2015

On a search to escape poverty and homophobia in Mexico, two men leave home and make the dangerous journey to New York City. But social and economic freedom costs them more than they ever imagined.

VIEW PROJECT

the babushkas of chernobyl

The Babushkas of Chernobyl

Directed by: Holly Morris and Anne Bogart

Year Funded: 2015

4, a defiant community of women scratch out an existence on some of the most toxic land on Earth. They share this hauntingly beautiful but lethal landscape with an assortment of visitors– scientists, soldiers, and even ‘stalkers’ — young thrill-seekers who sneak in to pursue post-apocalyptic video game-inspired fantasies. Why the film’s central characters, Hanna, Maria and Valentyna, chose to return after the disaster – defying the authorities and endangering their health – is a remarkable tale about the pull of home, the healing power of shaping one’s destiny, and the subjective nature of risk.
VIEW PROJECT

tickling giants

Tickling Giants

Directed by: Sara Taksler

Year Funded: 2015

The true story of Bassem Youssef, a heart surgeon, who launches a satirical news program amidst the chaos of the Egyptian Revolution. Under constant threat of arrest by the Egyptian government, Bassem and his staff manage to transform “Al Bernameg” into one of the most popular comedy shows in the world. This is a film about free speech, non-violent action, and the power of satire.

VIEW PROJECT

tocando la luz

Tocando la Luz

Directed by: Jennifer Redfearn

Year Funded: 2015

Tocando la Luz (Touch The Light) weaves three stories – all set in the blind community of Havana, Cuba – into a tale of personal independence. As Lis, Mily, and Margarita each face family problems and heartbreak, their dependence on others turns out to be a double-edged sword. From the music halls of Havana to a cinema club for the blind, their stories reveal both the pain and the joys of fighting for yourself.

VIEW PROJECT

trapped

Peabody Winner 2016

Trapped

Directed by: Dawn Porter

Year Funded: 2015

The 2010 midterm election resulted in a seismic rightward shift in America. Newly elected legislators often backed by Tea Party activists brought with them a hard line conservative agenda, and abortion was high on the list of targets.

From 2011 to 2013, hundreds of regulations were passed restricting access to abortion in America. Reproductive rights advocates refer to these as “TRAP” laws, or Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. While these laws have been enacted in 11 states, Southern clinics, in particular have been hit hardest and are now in a fight for survival. In Texas, less than half of the clinics open in 2013 are still functioning. In Alabama, five clinics struggle to keep their doors open. And in Mississippi, just one abortion clinic remains. Some of the most common requirements with which clinics struggle to comply include: requiring physicians to obtain admitting privileges from local hospitals for any doctor performing abortions, requiring that clinics undertake expensive renovations such as widening hallways by a few inches to accommodate wheelchairs and gurneys they will rarely use, and requiring other regulations usually reserved for hospitals even though abortion providers rarely require such a high level of care.

But even in this hostile environment the doctors, clinic owners and staff refuse to give up. Trapped interweaves the personal stories behind these regulatory battles: from the physician who crisscrosses the country assuring medical services are available; to the strong women who run the clinics; to the lawyers leading the legal charge to eliminate these laws; to the women they are all determined to help. In this feature length character driven film, our main characters fight alongside a dedicated cadre of attorneys to preserve abortion rights in a country living with the mistaken belief that Roe v. Wade still protects a woman’s right to choose.

** 2016 Sundance Film Festival

VIEW PROJECT

when god sleeps

When God Sleeps

Directed by: Till Schauder

Year Funded: 2015

When God Sleeps depicts the journey of Iranian musician Shahin Najafi who is forced into hiding after hard-line clerics offer a $100,000 reward for his murder.

VIEW PROJECT

atomic homefront

Atomic Homefront

Directed by: Rebecca Cammisa

Year Funded: 2014

The City of St. Louis has a little known nuclear past as a uranium-processing center for the Atomic bomb. Government and corporate negligence led to the dumping of Manhattan Project uranium, thorium, and radium, thus contaminating North St. Louis suburbs, specifically in two communities: those nestled along Coldwater Creek – and in Bridgeton, Missouri adjacent to the West Lake-Bridgeton landfill.

 

Our film documents those (mostly women) who have mobilized to get answers, created a powerful coalition and continue to fight for environmental justice.

VIEW PROJECT

be natural

Be Natural

Directed by: Pamela Green

Year Funded: 2014

A documentary searching for Alice Guy-Blaché, who at 23 was the first female director, became a powerful figure in film, then vanished.
VIEW PROJECT

cameraperson

Cameraperson

Directed by: Kirsten Johnson

Year Funded: 2014

After decades shooting top documentaries, cinematographer Kirsten Johnson creates a visually radical memoir investigating how she’s shot and what it might mean to those filmed.

** 2016 Sundance Film Festival<

VIEW PROJECT

from this day forward

From This Day Forward

Directed by: Sharon Shattuck

Year Funded: 2014

From This Day Forward is a moving portrayal of an American family coping with one of the most intimate of transformations. When director Sharon Shattuck’s father came out as transgender and changed her name to Trisha, Sharon was in the awkward throes of middle school. Her father’s transition to female was difficult for her straight-identified mother, Marcia, to accept, but her parents stayed together. As the Shattucks reunite to plan Sharon’s wedding, she seeks a deeper understanding of how her parents’ marriage survived the radical changes that threatened to tear them apart.

** 2015 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

VIEW PROJECT

grit

Grit

Directed by: Cynthia Wade and Sasha Friedlander

Year Funded: 2014

While multinational Lapindo was drilling for natural gas in Indonesia’s East Java in 2006, they hit an underground mud volcano, unleashing a tsunami of hot mud that covered an area twice the size of Central Park. Roads, factories and homes were destroyed, 20 lives were lost and nearly 40,000 people displaced. In a film that inspires one to fight against injustice, we see that over a decade later the mud still flows and neither Lapindo nor the government have made the reparations that they promised. Dian was six years old at the time and her mother Harwati has struggled to raise her. The mother/daughter duo, along with many neighbours, fight against the corporate powers accused of one of the largest environmental disasters in recent history. The film bears witness to Dian’s transformation from a young girl to a politically active teenager determined to defend the powerless.

VIEW PROJECT

hot girls wanted

Emmy Award Nominee 2015

Hot Girls Wanted

Directed by: Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus

Year Funded: 2014

Thanks to the Internet, thousands of young American women are entering the “amateur” porn world, fulfilling a growing demand for girl-next-door starlets. Hot Girls Wanted follows one such girl, eager to leave small-town life in search of freedom and fame. With the click of a mouse she transforms from A-student to fledgling amateur actress. She initially feels independent and popular starring in professionally produced videos – uploaded on sites garnering an average of 41 million hits a month. But as she and some of her new friends fall deeper into the darker corners of the Internet, and as new faces arrive daily, they’re forced to reconsider an increasingly dubious line of work. Filmmakers Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus, along with producer Rashida Jones and partners from the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research, rip the lid off of the often unchecked amateur porn industry. ** 2015 Sundance Film Festival

VIEW PROJECT

out in the night

Out in the Night

Directed by: Blair Dorosh-Walther

Year Funded: 2014

Out in the Night follows a group of African American teenagers who went to a gay-friendly neighborhood in New York City for a night out. These lesbian and gender non-conforming friends, Patreese, Renata, Terrain and Venice, were confronted by an older man on the street. They defended themselves. Strangers jumped in to support them and a fight ensued. Only the women were rounded up by police and charged and convicted as perpetrators of gang assault. They became known as The New Jersey 4. The film follows their journey to Rikers Island, to the courtroom, and through slanderous media coverage that labeled them a “Wolfpack” and “Lesbian Gang”. While exploring the fight from all sides through the security camera footage that captured it, that hot August night in 2006 can be seen from many perspectives. But our film’s purpose is to examine the events after the fight: biased media coverage likening the women to “man-hating” animals, and unprecedentedly harsh sentencing by the court. This story shows how four young, queer women of color were unfairly criminalized for defending themselves.

** 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival<

VIEW PROJECT

she's beautiful when she's angry

She's Beautiful When She's Angry

Directed by: Mary Dore

Year Funded: 2014

Born out of the revolutionary zeal of the ’60s and ’70s, the modern women’s liberation movement brought feminism to the mainstream, with bra burnings and massive protests in the name of empowering women to feel equal to their male counterparts at home and in the workplace. But this revolution wasn’t without tension—issues of race, sexuality and the role of men within it all threatened to tear the movement apart. Elucidated by interviews from participants as varied as Rita Mae Brown and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry illuminates the roots of the modern battle for gender equality, one that still rages to this very day.

VIEW PROJECT

strong island

Academy Award Nominee 2018

Strong Island

Directed by: Yance Ford

Year Funded: 2014

Strong Island chronicles the arc of a family across history, geography and tragedy – from the racial segregation of the Jim Crow South to the promise of New York City; from the presumed safety of middle class suburbs, to the maelstrom of an unexpected, violent death. It is the story of the Ford family: Barbara Dunmore, William Ford and their three children and how their lives were shaped by the enduring shadow of race in America. A deeply intimate and meditative film, Strong Island asks what one can do when the grief of loss is entwined with historical injustice, and how one grapples with the complicity of silence, which can bind a family in an imitation of life, and a nation with a false sense of justice.

VIEW PROJECT

supergirl

Supergirl

Directed by: Jessie Auritt

Year Funded: 2014

In the male dominated, testosterone-fueled sport of powerlifting, the last person one expects to see is a slight, young, Modern Orthodox Jewish girl. Since she began competitively lifting at the age of eight, Naomi “Supergirl” Kutin  has consistently shocked spectators and lifters alike, breaking one record after another. Standing at 5’0” and weighing 95 lbs, she can squat and deadlift more than double her bodyweight. These feats have not gone unnoticed; Naomi has accumulated a moderate amount of fame. She has appeared in the international media, including multiple television shows, and has a large social media following. Supergirl follows Naomi and her family as they prepare for and compete in powerlifting contests around the country, attempting to break new world records. Simultaneously, the film observes Naomi’s transition from a girl to a young woman as she prepares for her Bat Mitzvah – the symbolic entrance to womanhood in Jewish tradition which occurs at age twelve. The film follows Naomi as she attempts to navigate the disparate worlds of competitive powerlifting and Orthodox Judaism – – facing the physical and psychological challenges of her own body’s growth and development while struggling to conform to strict religious laws. Supergirl observes Naomi as she confronts these issues head on, discovering and building her own physical and emotional strength while figuring out who she is along the way.

VIEW PROJECT

the mask you live in

The Mask You Live In

Directed by: Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Year Funded: 2014

Compared to girls, research shows that boys in the U.S. are more likely to be diagnosed with a behavior disorder, prescribed stimulant medications, fail out of school, binge drink, commit a violent crime, and/or take their own lives. The Mask You Live In, a film that is an exploration of American masculinity, asks society: how are we failing our boys?

** 2015 Sundance Film Festival

VIEW PROJECT

1971

Emmy Award Nominee 2016

1971

Directed by: Johanna Hamilton

Year Funded: 2013

Johanna Hamilton’s 1971 tells the story of eight activists who plotted an intricate break-in to the local FBI offices to expose the illegal surveillance of ordinary Americans. Despite searching for the perpetrators in one of the largest investigations ever conducted, the FBI never solved the mystery behind the identities of the burglars. Until Now. For the first time, the Citizen’s Commission reveal themselves, reflecting on their actions and raising broader questions surrounding security leaks in activism today. ** Nominated, Best Documentary Feature, Tribeca Film Festival 2014

VIEW PROJECT

bei bei

Bei Bei

Directed by: Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt

Year Funded: 2013

Bei Bei Shuai, a Chinese immigrant living in Indianapolis, battles charges of murder and feticide. Her crime? Attempting suicide while pregnant. Abandoned by the father of her unborn child and suffering from severe perinatal depression, Bei Bei Shuai attempts suicide while eight months pregnant. She survives the attempt, but her baby, delivered by emergency c-section, dies in her arms three days later. Following devastating personal tragedy, Bei Bei finds herself transformed from a grief stricken mother into a criminal, charged with murder and attempted feticide. Bei Bei is moved to the Marion County Jail where she remains for a year and a half, until her lawyer Linda Pence is able to secure her release on bail. As Bei Bei and Ms. Pence take on the Indiana state justice system, her case begins to gain national attention. Their fight raises important questions about personhood laws, fetal rights, immigrant rights, and the criminalization of the mentally ill.

VIEW PROJECT

vessel

Vessel

Directed by: Diana Whitten

Year Funded: 2013

Dr. Rebecca Gomperts sails a ship around the world, providing abortions at sea for women with no legal alternative. Her idea begins as flawed spectacle, faced with governmental, religious, and military blockade. But with each roadblock comes a more refined mission, until Rebecca realizes she can use new technologies to bypass law – and train women to give themselves abortions using WHO-researched protocols with pills. From there we witness her create an underground network of emboldened, informed activists who trust women to handle abortion themselves. Vessel is Rebecca’s story: one of a woman who hears and answers a calling, and transforms a wildly improbable idea into a global movement.

**Winner, Grand Jury Award, SXSW 2014
**Winner, Special Jury Recognition for Political Change, SXSW 2014

VIEW PROJECT

alias ruby blade

Alias Ruby Blade

Directed by: Alex Meillier

Year Released: 2012

Intrigue. Romance. Revolution. It all comes together in a documentary film which chronicles the tumultuous birth of a new nation in East Timor through a never-before-seen perspective. Kirsty Sword, a young Australian activist, aspired to be a documentary filmmaker, but instead became a underground operative for the Timorese resistance in Jakarta code named ‘Ruby Blade’. Her task: to become a conduit of information and instruction for the enigmatic leader of the resistance, Kay Rala “Xanana” Gusmão, while he was serving life in prison for his revolutionary activities. Through correspondence, they fell in love. Alias Ruby Blade captures their incredible love story from this beginning to the ultimate triumph of freedom in East Timor, demonstrating the astonishing power of ordinary individuals to change the course of history.

** Tribeca Film Festival 2013

VIEW PROJECT

citizen koch

Citizen Koch

Directed by: Carl Deal and Tia Lessin

Year Funded: 2012

In this searing exposé on the state of American Democracy, Deal and Lessin follow the money behind the rise of the Tea Party. In the wake of the Citizens United ruling, the film investigates the impact on unlimited, anonymous spending by corporations and billionaires on the electoral process. Both humorous and deeply troubling, Citizen Koch is an essential portrait of our political time.

** 2013 Sundance Film Festival

VIEW PROJECT

mothers of bedford

Mothers of Bedford

Directed by: Jenifer McShane

Year Funded: 2012

Is it possible to become a better mother while serving time in a maximum security prison? Mothers of Bedford, a feature length documentary, follows five women incarcerated in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and looks at their lives through the lens of motherhood.
VIEW PROJECT

seeds of time

Seeds of Time

Directed by: Sandy McLeod

Year Funded: 2012

A perfect storm is brewing as agriculture pioneer Cary Fowler races against time to protect the future of our food. Gene banks of the world are crumbling, crop failures are producing starvation inspired rioting, and the accelerating effects of climate change are already affecting farmers globally. But Fowler’s journey, and our own, is just beginning: From Rome to Russia and, finally, a remote island under the Arctic Circle, Fowler’s passionate and personal journey may hold the key to saving the one resource we cannot live without: our seeds.

** CPH: DOX 2013<

VIEW PROJECT

sexy baby

Sexy Baby

Directed by: Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus

Year Funded: 2012

Sexy Baby is the first documentary film to put faces to a seismic cultural shift: the cyber age is creating a new sexual landscape. While doing research for the film, we had intimate and candid conversations with kids in middle school classrooms, suburban shopping malls, nightclubs, college dorms, and even conducted an informal roundtable during a high school house party. While chronicling trends among small town and big city kids, we discovered this: Having pubic hair is considered unattractive and “gross.” Most youngsters know someone who has emailed or texted a naked photo of themselves. Many kids have accidentally or intentionally had their first introduction to sex be via hardcore online porn. Facebook has created an arena where kids compete to be “liked” and constantly worry about what image to portray – much of what was once private is now made public. Sexy Baby is the first documentary film to put faces to a seismic cultural shift: the cyber age is creating a new sexual landscape.

VIEW PROJECT

the invisible war

Academy Award Nominee 2013

The Invisible War

Directed by: Kirby Dick

Year Funded: 2012

The Invisible War is a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of our country’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within our US military. Today, a female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire with the number of assaults in the last decade alone in the hundreds of thousands. ** Academy Award Nominee 2012, Best Documentary Feature ** Sundance Film Festival 2012

VIEW PROJECT

the iran job

The Iran Job

Directed by: Till Schauder

Year Funded: 2012

The Iran Job follows American basketball player Kevin Sheppard as he accepts a job to play in one of the world’s most feared countries: Iran. With tensions running high between Iran and the West, Kevin tries to separate sports from politics only to find that politics is impossible to escape in Iran. Along the way he forms an unlikely alliance with three outspoken Iranian women. Thanks to these women, his apartment turns into an oasis of free speech, where they discuss everything from politics to religion to gender roles. Kevin’s season in Iran culminates in something much bigger than basketball: the uprising and subsequent suppression of Iran’s reformist Green Movement – a powerful prelude to the sweeping changes across the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring.
** German Film Award 2014 Shortlist – Best Documentary
** Los Angeles Film Festival 2012

VIEW PROJECT

food chains

Food Chains

Directed by: Sanjay Rawal

Year Funded: 2011

In this exposé, an intrepid group of Florida farmworkers battle to defeat the $4 trillion global supermarket industry through their ingenious Fair Food program, which partners with growers and retailers to improve working conditions for farm laborers in the United States. There is more interest in food these days than ever, yet there is very little interest in the hands that pick it. Farmworkers, the foundation of our fresh food industry, are routinelya bused and robbed of wages. In extreme cases they can be beaten, sexually harassed or even enslaved – all within the borders of the United States.

VIEW PROJECT

sun come up

Academy Award Nominee 2011

Sun Come Up

Directed by: Jennifer Redfearn

Year Funded: 2011

Sun Come Up follows the relocation of some of the world’s first environmental refugees, the Carteret Islanders – a community living on a remote island chain in the South Pacific Ocean. When rising seas threaten their survival, the islanders face a painful decision: they must leave their beloved land in search of a new place to call home.

VIEW PROJECT

the only real game

The Only Real Game

Directed by: Mirra Bank

Year Funded: 2011

The Only Real Game is a fighters’ and dreamers’ story about the magic of baseball for people in a remote and troubled place. Once princely Manipur, a strife-torn border state in northeast India, defies civil war, drugs, gun traffic, and HIV/AIDS through love of our national pastime. Dreams chase reality in this ancient region when a small group of baseball-loving New Yorkers, and two Major League Baseball Envoy coaches, team up with Manipuri men, women and children to “Play Ball.” It’s a far away story that brings us to the heart of the great American Game, or as Babe Ruth put it, “the only real game in the world.”

VIEW PROJECT

this is how i roll

This Is How I Roll

Directed by: Kat Vecchio

Year Funded: 2011

Starting in March of 2008, director Kat Vecchio began documenting the rise of men’s flat track roller derby. Chronicling the fringe of a fringe sport, the film follows the rise, occasional ridicule, and good spirited rivalries of men on roller skates. This is How I Roll is about being an outsider, an underdog, and an athlete. It is a story about having a passion for something most people just don’t understand and doing it anyway, in spite of the obstacles, the injuries, and even occasional ridicule. It also happens to be about men, with names like Dr. Spankenstein and Justice Feelgood Marshall, on roller skates.

VIEW PROJECT

family affair

Family Affair

Directed by: Chico Colvard

Year Funded: 2010

Family Affair is an uncompromising documentary by Chico Colvard, which explores the complexities of a family subjected to enormous trauma, the depths of suffering a parent can inflict on his own children and yet also the remarkable resiliency that some people can muster even in the face of all this. The film is a meditation on forgiveness, on grace, and on the capacity of the human spirit to find love and meaning under the worst of circumstances. It was the first film to join OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network)’s Documentary Film Club.</d

** Sundance Film Festival 2010

VIEW PROJECT

playground

Playground

Directed by: Libby Spears

Year Funded: 2010

Playground is director Libby Spears’ sensitive investigation about the commercial sexual exploitation of American children, revealing that this sinister industry is not a problem exclusive to back-alley brothels in developing countries. Spears intelligently traces the epidemic to its disparate, and decidedly domestic, roots—among them the way children are educated about sex, and the problem of raising awareness about a crime that inherently cannot be shown.

VIEW PROJECT

branded


google, inc. - defending maka angola

Google, Inc. - Defending Maka Angola

Directed by: Maka Angola

Year Released: 2016

Rafael Marques De Morais is a journalist in Angola who runs Maka Angola, one of the largest independent news site in the country. Operating from Rafael’s kitchen table, Maka Angola may have a small staff, but its impact in Angola is massive. Their investigative journalism, covering topics from conflict diamonds, to wartime atrocities and crippling poverty, have given the citizens of Angola a platform where their voices can now be heard.

As a result of his coverage, Rafael has been threatened, thrown in jail and been the target of constant distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to take Maka Angola offline. Rafael has been able to partner with Jigsaw’s Project Shield, ensuring that his site stayed online and continued its work.

VIEW PROJECT

american express - buffalo returns

American Express - Buffalo Returns

Directed by: Gini Reticker

Year Released: 2015

In the face of a powerful recession, crippling unemployment and a housing crisis, a small, creative and energetic band of Native American businesspeople, with the help of the buffalo, rebuild their community through a growing business, Native American Natural Foods, the company behind Tanka energy bars. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Gini Reticker weaves together beautiful imagery set to the pulse of the Sioux Nation to carefully tell the story of two entrepreneurs who use tradition and ingenuity to bring opportunity and hope to the people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. After nearly going extinct, the buffalo has returned, bringing a chance for prosperity to the Lakota people.

 

VIEW PROJECT

special projects


the first step

The First Step

Directed by: Brandon Kramer

Year Released: 2021

Van Jones, a Black progressive activist known for calling Donald Trump’s election “a whitelash” live on TV, controversially crosses party lines to win bipartisan support for criminal justice reform and a more humane response to the addiction crisis. Attempting to be a bridge builder in a time of extreme polarization takes him deep into the inner workings of the Trump administration, internal divisions within both parties, and the lives of activists fighting for their communities.

VIEW PROJECT

all ears with abigail disney

Podcast Listen Now!

All Ears with Abigail Disney

Year Released: 2020

Abigail E. Disney interviews bold thinkers in the world of arts, politics, academia—people fighting for a more equitable and world with the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired over a lifetime.

 

 

VIEW PROJECT

missing in brooks county

Missing in Brooks County

Directed by: Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss

Year Released: 2020

Thousands of miles from the politicians in Washington, D.C. who claim to be experts on immigration, there is a place where people are dying. Welcome to Brooks County, Texas, population 4,981. For migrants determined to travel from Latin America to the United States—many fleeing violence and starvation—the most popular route leads through this poor town located 70 miles north of the border. The route is also the deadliest. It is blocked by an interior immigration checkpoint, a military style barricade that diverts migrants into the surrounding harsh desert terrain. As a result, between 300 and 600 migrants succumb to dehydration and exposure in Brooks County every year. Only one in five is ever found. MISSING IN BROOKS COUNTY is a portrait of this struggling American town, caught in the middle of a shameful death-as-deterrence border policy that continues to intensify under President Trump.

VIEW PROJECT

the people vs. agent orange

The People vs. Agent Orange

Directed by: Alan Adelson and Kate Taverna

Year Released: 2020

Year Funded: 2015, 2014

The Agent Orange catastrophe did not end with the war in Vietnam. Today, all over the world, a primary component of that toxic herbicide controls weeds in farming, forestry, parks–even on children’s playgrounds. The chemical wreaks havoc on the human genome, causing deformed births and deadly cancers. After decades of struggle and tragic personal losses, two heroic women are leading a worldwide movement to end the plague and hold the manufacturers accountable. In France, Tran To Nga is suing the American chemical industry for poisoning her Vietnamese family. And in America, Carol Van Strum exposes the continuing use of toxic herbicides. Incriminating documents disappear. Activists and their children are threatened and die. A helicopter technician secretly films the contamination of reservoirs, while a massive industrial cover-up continues.

VIEW PROJECT

swingers

Swingers

Year Released: 2019

Swingers gets up close and personal with a small group of voters from Pennsylvania who supported President Obama for two terms but then voted for Trump in 2016. These “swingers” from Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s most purple states, cited issues like the economy, jobs, and immigration as key to their flip. The first episode of “Swingers” brings the audience into the homes of these swing voters as they react to news and events about the Trump presidency alongside their family and friends.

VIEW PROJECT

hateship loveship

Hateship Loveship

Directed by: Liza Johnson

Year Released: 2013

A wild teenage girl orchestrates a romance between her nanny and her father, who is a recovering addict.

VIEW PROJECT

return

Return

Directed by: Liza Johnson

Year Released: 2011

When Kelli (Linda Cardellini, Freaks & Geeks, Brokeback Mountain) returns home from war, she expected to slowly but surely settle back into her life with her husband (Michael Shannon, Boardwalk Empire) and kids in the small town she grew up in. But she gradually realizes that the life she left behind is no longer there waiting for her. Depicting Kelli’s struggle to find her place in a life she no longer recognizes, Linda Cardellini delivers a tour de force performance, leading an all-star cast that also includes John Slattery (Mad Men).

VIEW PROJECT

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: December 20, 2021.

1. Introduction and Overview.

This Privacy Policy describes how Fork Films LLC (“Fork Films,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) collects, uses, and shares information about you and applies to your use of any online service location that posts a link to this Privacy Policy and all features, content, and other services that we own, control and make available through such online service location (collectively, the “Service”). This Privacy Policy does not apply to our information collection activities outside of the Service (unless otherwise stated below or at the time of collection).

By using the Service, you agree to our Terms of Use and consent to our collection, use and disclosure practices, and other activities as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree and consent, discontinue use of the Service.

If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights and choices, please contact using the instructions set out in the “Contact Us” section. If you are a California resident or Nevada resident, please see the additional disclosures at the end of this Privacy Policy.

2. Information Collection.

      A. Information You Provide.

      We and our Service Providers (defined below) may collect information you provide directly via the Service, including when you sign-up for our mailing lists, purchase, view or interact with our content, or otherwise communicate or transact with us through the Service. The categories of information we collect, and have collected in the past 12 months, include:

      • Contact Data, including your first and last name, company name, and email address.
      • Content, including content within any messages you send to us (such as feedback and questions to customer support).

      Where you purchase content through the Service, we use Service Providers to process your payment information, including credit or debit card information. We do not have access to or store your credit or debit card information.

      You may choose to voluntarily submit other information to us that we have not requested, and in such instances, you are solely responsible for such information.

      B. Information Collected Automatically.

      In addition, we automatically collect information when you access or use the Service. The categories of information, we automatically collect, and have collected in the past 12 months, include:

      • Usage Data, including data about features you use, pages you visit, content you view and purchase, the time of day you browse, and referring/exit pages.
      • Device Data, including data about the type of device or browser you use, device identifiers such as IP address, browser type, operating system, data regarding network connected hardware, and internet service provider.

      The types of tracking technologies we use to automatically collect information include:

      • Log Files, which are files that record events that occur in connection with your use of the Service.
      • Cookies, are small data files stored on a user’s device that act as a unique tag to identify your browser. We use two types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies. Session cookies make it easier for you to navigate the Service and expire when you close your browser. Persistent cookies help in understanding how you use the Service, and may remain on your device for extended periods of time, and may be controlled through your browser settings.
      • Pixels, (also known as web beacons), which is code embedded in a website, video, email or ad that sends information about your use to a server. There are various types of pixels, including image pixels (which are small graphic images) and JavaScript pixels (which contains JavaScript code). When you access a website, video, email or ad that contains a pixel, the pixel may permit us or a separate entity to drop or read cookies on your browser. Pixels are used in combination with cookies to track activity by a particular browser on a particular device. Web beacons may be used to count the number of visitors to the Service, to monitor how users navigate the Service, and to count content views.

      For further information on how we use tracking technologies, and your rights and choices regarding them, please see the “Tracking Technologies” section under the “Your Rights and Choices” section below.

      C. Information from Other Sources.

      We obtain information about you from other sources. The categories of sources from which we collect information and have collected from in the past 12 months, include social networks and partners that offer co-branded content. To the extent we combine such sourced information with information we have collected about you on the Service, we will treat the combined information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

3. Use of Information.

We collect and use information for business and commercial purposes in accordance with the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Our business purposes for collecting and using information, and for which we have collected and used information in the past 12 months, include to:

  • Manage and operate our Service, including financing and producing content such as nonfiction TV series and documentary films;
  • Respond to your comments, questions, and requests, and provide customer service;
  • Send you technical notices, updates, security alerts, information regarding changes to our policies, and support and administrative messages;
  • Prevent and address fraud, breach of policies or terms, and threats or harm;
  • Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities;
  • Conduct research, including focus groups and surveys;
  • Improve the Service of other Fork Films websites, applications, marketing efforts, products and services;
  • Conduct promotions, including verifying your eligibility and delivering prizes in connection with your entities.
  • Develop and send you advertising, direct marketing, and communications regarding our and other entities products, services, offers, promotions, rewards and events;
  • Fulfill any other purpose at your direction; and
  • With notice to you and your consent.

Notwithstanding the above, we may use information that does not identify you (including information that has been aggregated or de-identified) for any purpose except as prohibited by applicable law. For information on your rights and choices regarding how we use information about you, please see the “Your Rights and Choices” section below.

4. Sharing of Information.

We share information we collect in accordance with the practices described in this Privacy Policy. The categories of parties with whom we share information, and have shared information in the past 12 months, include:

  • Service Providers. We share information with our agents, vendors, consultants, and other service providers (collectively “Service Providers”) that process information on our behalf. Service Providers assist us with services such as payment processing, data analytics, marketing, advertising, website hosting, and technical support. These Service Providers are prohibited from using information for any purpose other than to provide this assistance, although we may permit them to use aggregate information which does not identify you or de-identified data for other purposes.
  • Partners. We share information with our partners in connection with offering co-branded content and services.
  • Promotions. Our promotions may be jointly sponsored or offered by other parties. When you voluntarily enter a promotion, we share information as set out in the official rules that govern the promotion as well as for administrative purposes and as required by law (e.g., on a winners list). By entering a promotion, you agree to the official rules that govern that promotion, and may, except where prohibited by applicable law, allow the sponsor and/or other entities to use your name, voice and/or likeness in advertising or marketing materials.
  • Security and Compelled Disclosure. We may share information to comply with the law or other legal process, and where required, in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements. We also share information to protect the rights, property, life, health, security and safety of us, the Service, the individuals involved in our films, or any third party.
  • Merger or Acquisition. We may share information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any proposed or actual merger, purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or business combination of all or any portion of our assets, or transfer of all or a portion of our business to another company.
  • Affiliates. We share information with our affiliates and related entities, including where they act as our service provider for their own internal purposes.
  • Facilitating Requests. We share information at your request.
  • Consent. We share information with notice to you and with your consent.

Without limiting the foregoing, in our sole discretion, we may share aggregated information which does not identify you or de-identified information about you except as prohibited by applicable law. For information on your rights and choices regarding how we share information about you, please see the “Your Rights and Choices” section below.

5. Other Parties’ Services, Social and Video Features.

    Our Service includes hyperlinks to websites, locations, platforms, or services operated by other parties. For example, we may link to video services, such as iTunes or Netflix, in order to view our films. These services are owned and operated by other parties which may use tracking technologies to independently collect information about you and may solicit information from you.

    Certain functionalities on the Service permit interactions that you initiate between the Service and certain other services, such as social networks and video services (“Social and Video Features”). Examples of Social and Video Features include “liking” or “sharing” our content, watching embedded videos using other party’s video service technology, and otherwise connecting our Service to another party’s service. If you use Social and Video Features, information you post or provide access to may be publicly displayed on our Service or other party’s services that you use.

    Similarly, if you post information on a website or social network that references our Service (e.g., by using a hashtag associated with Fork Films, our films, TV shows or content in a tweet or status update), your post may be used on or in connection with our Service. Also, both Fork Films and the social network may have access to certain information about you and your use of our Service and their online services.

    The information collected and stored by other parties remains subject to their policies and practices. We are not responsible for and make no representations regarding the policies or privacy practices of any other parties and encourage you to familiarize yourself with and consult their privacy policies and terms of use.

6. Your Rights and Choices.

      A. Accessing Your Information.

      You may access, update, or remove certain information that you voluntarily submitted to us when you made a purchase through the Service by sending an e-mail to us at info@forkfilms.com. We may require additional information from you to allow us to confirm your identity. Please note that we will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

      B. Tracking Technologies.

      • Cookies. Regular cookies may generally be disabled or removed by tools available as part of most commercial browsers, and in some instances blocked in the future by selecting certain settings. Browsers offer different functionalities and options so you may need to set them separately.
      • Do Not Track. Your browser settings may allow you to automatically transmit a “Do Not Track” signal to online services you visit. Note, however, there is no industry consensus as to what website operators should do with regard to these signals. Accordingly, unless and until the law is interpreted to require us to do so, we do not monitor or take action with respect to “Do Not Track” signals or other mechanisms. For more information on “Do Not Track,” visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.
      • Analytics. We use analytics services such as Google Analytics and other Service Providers to help Fork Films analyze how you use the Service. You may exercise choices regarding the use of cookies from Google Analytics by going to https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout or downloading the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Fork Films is not responsible for effectiveness of, or compliance with, any third-parties’ opt out options or programs or the accuracy of their statements regarding their programs.

      Please be aware that if you disable or remove certain tracking technologies some parts of the Service may not function correctly.

      C. E-mail Communications.

      You can opt out of receiving certain promotional e-mails from us at any time by following the instructions as provided in e-mails to click on the unsubscribe link or by sending an e-mail to us here with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject field of the e-mail. Please note that your opt out is limited to the e-mail address used and will not affect subsequent subscriptions or non-promotional communications, such as those about your account, transactions, servicing, or Fork Films’ ongoing business relations.

7. Children.

The Service is intended for a general audience and not directed to children under 13 years of age. Fork Films does not knowingly collect personal information as defined by the U.S. Children’s Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) in a manner that is not permitted by COPPA. If you are a parent or guardian and believe Fork Films has collected such information in a manner not permitted by COPPA, please e-mail us here or send us a letter to Fork Films LLC, 25 East 21st Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010 (Attention: Legal), and we will remove such data to the extent required by COPPA. We do not knowingly “sell,” as that term is defined under the CCPA, the personal information of minors under 16 years old who are California residents.

8. Data Security.

We take reasonable measures to help protect information about you from loss, theft, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. Nevertheless, transmission via the internet is not completely secure and we cannot guarantee the security of your information collected through our Service.

9. International Transfer.

We are based in the U.S. and the information we and our Service Providers collect is governed by U.S. law. If you are accessing the Service from outside of the U.S., please be aware that information collected through the Service may be transferred to, processed, stored and used in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Data protection laws in the U.S. and other jurisdictions may be different from those of your country of residence. Your use of the Service or provision of any information therefore constitutes your consent to the transfer to and from, processing, usage, sharing and storage of your information, in the U.S. and other jurisdictions as set forth in this Privacy Policy.

10. Changes to this Privacy Policy.

We reserve the right to revise and reissue this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting of the revised Privacy Policy. Your continued use of our Service indicates your consent to the Privacy Policy then posted. If the changes are material, we may provide you additional notice, to your e-mail address.

11. Contact Us.

If you have any questions or comments about this policy, please e-mail us here or send us a letter to Fork Films LLC, 25 East 21st Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010 (Attention: Legal).

12. Additional Disclosures for California Residents.

      To the extent Fork Films is subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), these additional disclosures apply only to California residents covered by the CCPA.

      A. Notice of Collection.

      In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information enumerated in the CCPA:

      • Identifiers, including name, email address, and online identifiers (such as IP address).
      • Commercial or transactions information, including trailers watched and records of content purchased.
      • Internet activity, including browsing history, search history, and interactions with a website, video, email, or advertisement.

      For further details on information we collect, including the sources from which we receive information, review the “Information Collection” section above. We collect and use these categories of personal information for the business purposes described in the “Use of Information” section above, including to manage our Service.

      We do not sell information as the term “sell” is traditionally understood.

      B. Right to Know and Delete.

      You have the right to delete personal information we have collected about you. You also have the right to know certain details about our data practices in the past 12 months. In particular, you may request the following from us:

      • The categories of personal information we have collected about you;
      • The categories of sources from which the personal information was collected;
      • The categories of personal information about you we disclosed for a business purpose or sold;
      • The categories of third parties to whom the personal information was disclosed for a business purpose or sold;
      • The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling the personal information; and
      • The specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.

      To exercise any of these rights, please submit a request through our Online Form. In the request, please specify which right you are seeking to exercise and the scope of the request. We will confirm receipt of your request within 10 days. We may require specific information from you to help us verify your identity and process your request. If we are unable to verify your identity, we may deny your requests to know or delete.

      C. Authorized Agent.

      You can designate an authorized agent to submit requests on your behalf. However, we will require written proof of the agent’s permission to do so and verify your identity directly.

      D. Right to Non-Discrimination.

      You have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment by us for the exercise of any your rights.

      E. Shine the Light.

      California’s “Shine the Light” law permits customers in California to request (i) a list of the categories of personal information disclosed by us to third parties during the immediately preceding calendar year for those third parties’ own direct marketing purposes; and (ii) a list of the categories of third parties to whom we disclosed such information. To exercise your rights and make a request, please e-mail us here or send us a letter to Fork Films LLC, 25 East 21st Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010 (Attention: Legal). Requests must include “California Shine the Light Request” in the first line of the description and include your name, street address, city, state, and ZIP code. Please note that Fork Films is not required to respond to requests made by means other than through the provided e-mail address or mail address.

13. Additional Disclosures for Nevada Residents.

Nevada law (NRS 603A.340) requires each business to establish a designated request address where Nevada consumers may submit requests directing the business not to sell certain kinds of personal information that the business has collected or will collect about the consumer. A sale under Nevada law is the exchange of personal information for monetary consideration by the business to a third party for the third party to license or sell the personal information to other third parties. If you are a Nevada consumer and wish to submit a request relating to our compliance with Nevada law, please contact us as at info@forkfilms.com.