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The Interrupters BRITDOC.ORG/IMPACT THE INTERRUPTERS The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. Shot over the course of a year, the film captures a period in Chicago when it became a national symbol for the violence in US cities. The film’s main subjects, ”The Interrupters”, work for an innovative organization, CeaseFire; they have credibility on the streets because of their own personal histories and intervene in conflicts before they erupt into violence. REALLY GREAT CAPACITY WHAT THE CRITICS SAID BUILDING….AN “The Interrupters is one of the great movies of the Obama era, the best and INCREDIBLE LIST most painful so far” Boston Globe OF NGOS THAT “Superb... every member of the U.S. THE FILMMAKERS House, the U.S. Senate, the White House and the tea party, let alone anybody WORKED WITH. I simply interested in meeting some complicated and remarkable Chicagoans, LOVE THE FOCUS should see the film” Chicago Tribune ON THEATRICAL “ For ordinary moviegoers in search of an enthralling experience, that work and this Q&AS AND film are heroically life-affirming”TIME HARNESSING THE ENERGY OF THE AUDIENCE IN THE CINEMA” PEER REVIEW COMMITTEE 1 THE FILM WHO SAW IT “I WAS THERE. 44 FESTIVALS in 15 countries IT MADE ME Premiere Sundance 2011 LAUGH; IT MADE 16K VIEWERS AT COMMUNITY ME CRY; IT SCREENINGS MADE ME WANT in 44 out of 50 states (including over 100 in Chicago) 200 via Cinema Guild TO BECOME 100 via Youth PROMISE Act party screenings MORE ACTIVE Internationally screened in over 25 countries IN MY OWN including Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, South Korea, Iran, Montenegro and Australia. COMMUNITY/ PROVIDE ESTIMATED CINEMA AUDIENCE 41K Film shown in 105 cinemas in the US MENTORSHIP. Across 23 cities in the UK and 6 cities in Canada POWERFUL, 2.9M TELEVISION VIEWERS POWERFUL FILM. across 9 territories including PBS Frontline in USA HUGE THANKS Sweden SVT – 175,000 AND BLESSINGS United Kingdom– BBC4 – 245,000 Denmark– DRTV – 96,000 TO AMEENA, Norway – NRK – 49,000 COBE, EDDIE France - Canal Plus France – 50, 000 AND EVERYONE 20K DVD OUT THERE ON 18,700 sold in the US THE FRONT 2,000 in the UK LINES MAKING 14 AWARDS AND PRIZES A DIFFERENCE including 5 Best Documentary Awards IN YOUNG ONLINE TRAILER PEOPLE’S LIVES.” 540K 548,512 views PHOEBE KING, CHICAGO WEBSITE 160K 102,450 unique visitors to www.TheInterrupters.com 1.5K EMAIL LIST Mainly organisations SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES 12K 7250 Facebook Likes 5450 Twitter followers @TheInterrupters 2 THE CAMPAIGN THE THE CAMPAIGN THE CAMPAIGNERS violence; its causes and solutions, often held by populations with no personal experience of it. Kartemquin Films, the production outfit behind The Interrupters, is a known Chicagoan The campaign wanted to address both nonprofit of 40 years standing, which specialises behavioural and policy issues including: in independent media and engagement • Urban violence with untold stories of social importance. • Conflict prevention & transformation Kartemquin bolstered their internal team • Anger management with external hires of outreach and online • The importance of mentors & programs consultants in order to run the campaign aidiing youth around The Interrupters and the associated • Rehabilitation & re-entry programs interactive project, InterruptViolence.com • Life transformation • Poverty (e.g. unemployment and under CAMPAIGN AIMS resourced communities) The filmmakers’ aim was to use The Interrupters • Racial disparities (e.g. lack of as a tool to start a conversation around the opportunities) complexities and roots of violence, and for • Culture of punishment over the film to be seen prevention & early intervention THE by the communities A larger goal was to work with local, state FILMMAKERS’ most affected by these and federal government to expand social AIM WAS issues. The filmmakers services and other agencies that promote also believe the and address many of these social issues. TO START A film is an invaluable CONVERSATION tool in helping to AROUND THE redress media driven HOW THE CAMPAIGN WORKED COMPLEXITIES perceptions of innercity The campaign was launched at the Youth Media Summit in Chicago in 2011, where AND ROOTS OF VIOLENCE 3 THE CAMPAIGN THE nearly 100 Chicago area high school publicise the film, while the attention given students from different neighbourhoods, to the film brought headlines to under- races and communities watched the publicised violence prevention organisations. film and met the filmmakers. This gave S.O.S. (Save Our Streets) Crown Heights young people an opportunity to tell adults was one such organisation, a community about their own experiences. The most based violence intervention effort in New repeated phrase that day was “We need York which is modelled on Ceasefire. to show The Interrupters in my school.” The organisation attended the film’s theatrical This was a campaign that put huge focus on premiere at the IFC community screenings as the film continued Center in Manhattan THE MOST past the theatrical stage. Violence prevention and has subsequently REPEATED organisations initially partnered with the film been part of dozens PHRASE THAT for theatrical events were called upon to lend of New York based DAY WAS context and advocacy to a wide programme events coordinated of community engagement events. “WE NEED TO by The Interrupters SHOW THE At nearly 50 different theatrical bookings held Outreach Team: INTERRUPTERS IN from July 2011 to January 2012, local theatres whether it was allowed local violence prevention groups to a Snag Films live MY SCHOOL.” talk directly to moviegoers at post-screening online Snag The Q&As. If there were difficulties coordinating a Vote screening, a local New York City panel with a violence prevention organisation, school screening or gathering a New the outreach team would even include a city’s York perspective for InterruptViolence. police gang unit, as com, the S.O.S. Crown Heights team and VIOLENCE IS was the case with their local partners have been a large a December 2011 part of delivering the film’s message. A SYMPTOM screening in Dallas. Amy Ellenbogen, Project Director for S.O.S. OF OTHER These theatrical Q&As Crown Heights noted “Violence is a symptom SYSTEMS THAT put the energy of a of other systems that have broken apart: community screening HAVE BROKEN the education system, the policing system, into movie theatres APART so it’s really a whole circle of problems.” as local violence prevention groups The Interrupters has been shown at more than were able to speak to moviegoers and tell 400 community organised screenings around them how they too could take action. Some the country where it’s been used as a tool to of these relationships created local partners spur discussion about urban violence and in these select cities to help roll out and ways to combat it. A few examples include: 4 THE CAMPAIGN THE • Educators from middle school to university as a way for Chicago residents to get level in cities including Chicago, Oakland to know what was going on locally in and Toronto have developed lesson plans their adjacent neighbourhoods based around the film’s themes and morals • The City of Milwaukee sponsored • Showings in adult prisons such as two screenings through support from The Danville Correctional Center and Harley-Davidson Motor Company. youth correction facilities such as Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett attended The Chicago Illinois Youth Center, where one of the screenings and explained, the film is used as a rehabilitation tool “Screening The Interrupters in Milwaukee has provided an opportunity for some • Colleges and medical schools from blunt discussions about violence, the Harvard Law to Northwestern Medical have consequences of violence, and violence used the film to begin a conversation about prevention. It also shares some very the deeply entrenched poverty in US cities human messages about hope in some • Church groups from Oakland seemingly hopeless situations” to Houston to Newark have used • A free screening of The Interrupters was the film in their communities sponsored by Philadelphia’s Mayor, • Diverse organisations have screened Michael Nutter, and the Mayor’s the film at theirnational conferences, Commission on African American including the International Society Males. This screening brought together for Traumatic Stress Studies, the a myriad of the city’s organisations from American Bar Association and the the Philadelphia CeaseFire to youth- American Civil Liberties Union led dance troupe The Dollar Boyz • The American Film Showcase, an • The outreach team’s partners at CeaseFire international film series that “illustrates coordinated a screening at the United diverse viewpoints, and reflects States Conference of Mayors, an contemporary American society and annual conference bringing together culture” for overseas audiences, hundreds of mayors from across the continued to screen the film in 2013 with United States. The screening and engagements at US Embassies and other discussion resulted in the conference community screenings in Moscow; Medellin, adopting a resolution that “affirm[ed] its Columbia; Bosnia & Herzegovina and Algeria support for public health approaches • The film was also shown to around to violence prevention as pioneered 50 health professionals during by the CeaseFire health approach” the 2012 Annual Meeting of the These screenings were all supported by a National Association of County and Community Resource Guide to help facilitate City Health Officials in Los Angeles discussion and lesson plans structured around • 700 high school students attended a film clips aligned to curriculum standards summit in Columbus, Ohio where they have been made available for schools brainstormed solutions to violence in July 2013 saw a new phase of the campaign their communities post-screening launched with interruptviolence.com, a • The film has also been screened transmedia community engagement campaign to faith based organisations comprising educational outreach tools aimed including Jewish, Muslim and Christian at reducing the corrosive effects of violence organisations and Quakers in American cities.
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