We created 53 original short films, released one full-length documentary, and worked with 186 partner organizations. Because of your help we leveraged the power of storytelling to engage over a million activists online this year.
A quick re-cap of what we’ve accomplished:
Released 53 short videos and a feature-length documentary, Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA.
Grown our audience by over 150,000 supporters through email and social media.
Worked with over 100 partners on our multi-media campaigns.
Welcomed 5 new Brave New Films Fellows.
Saw another year of Brave New Educators Screenings in thousands of classrooms.
To see our recent work, check out our website:
New: The Bail Trap: American Ransom
Some Highlights:
This year started with the theatrical release of our latest feature, Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA. The film has seen tremendous success – it’s been screened more than 1,000 times in all 50 states, and we’ve seen more than 150 press hits. We also saw the direct impact of our gun safety work when Prop 63, the Background Checks for Ammunition Purchases and Large-Capacity Ammunition Magazine Ban Initiative, passed in CA. We know that our film and distribution spread awareness for gun safety and ultimately helped lead to the passage of this ballot initiative. Signup to screen the film here: www.makingakilling.com
We continued our mission to fix our broken justice system, advocate for alternatives to incarceration, and stopping privatization that creates prison profiteering. We celebrated victory when for-profit private probation, Judicial Corrections Services (JCS), was forced out of more than a 100 municipal courts in Alabama thanks in part to our film To Prison for Poverty. Also, we acknowledged some promising steps forward by helping pass Prop 64 with this short film to end the drug war and the collateral damage caused by a faulty system in California.
We were also thrilled to see a short series on the economic crisis in Puerto Rico become an unexpected hit, racking up more than 6.3M views online. This was particularly exciting because it was filmed and produced in part by one of our current Diversity Fellows, a group of young social justice activists and future media superstars participating in a one-year paid fellowship with BNF to develop their skills. It is a great example of the power of BNF content to cut through the noise and engage millions of advocates on an issue that is unfortunately receiving very little media play. Take a look at the videos here – http://www.bravenewfilms.org/puertoricancrisis