What we do best is telling stories with heart and humans at the center đź–¤
Let us know if our reel made you feel anything 🤟🏻
(Extended version in Bio đź¤)
🎬 + 📋 @jillianford_official
🎥 + 🎞️ @weissdocs
We were about halfway through the march from Malcolm X Park to Freedom Plaza when we took a break and walked in the shade on the other side of 16th St.
It was a crazy hot day, and the sun was taking its toll. My backpack didn’t help either. We were chatting about how our story was unfolding and how the march was going, what else to grab, that sort of thing, when we heard church bells ringing out in the distance.
As we got closer, I was struck by the towers of the church and how they looked against the thousands of people in the crowd, so I started filming and tried to do their presence justice on camera. Then I made my way through the crowd with many excuse me’s and sorry’s and I was struck by what I saw.
A group of young men were on the steps of the church waving flags of their cause, and it was really stunning to hear their chants and see their coordination over the booming pearl of the bells vibrating the air and encouraging the ten thousand of us in the street.
I didn’t catch the name of the church, but I did see a priest in shorts and a t shirt descending the steps before I started filming.
There are often a lot of spiritual leaders at these marches. While Fascism is trojan horsed into the U.S. with the veneer, one of many, of white supremacist Christian nationalism, it made me wonder about the role of spiritual leadership and institutions at this time. What can they do to help working class people organize and be a home for people’s movements?
Those bells were a powerful and small act, that made a big difference on the morale of the crowd. Especially in the extreme heat of the midday summer sun in swampy DC.
Either way, it ended up being the scene that stuck with me most that day and I’m somewhat happy with the footage. Full, short, one day doc coming soon!
Im putting together a short workshop for people who want to learn how to make protest films @phillycam this Thursday 06/05 from 6-8 PM !!!
Learn how to tell stories in chaotic environments 🖤🫶🏻🎥
Check out our protest filmmaking process in our first BTS now and forever on YouTube. Ever wonder how we document these actions movie style? Well now’s your chance to find out. Link in Bio!!!
#documentary #behindthescenes #protest
🏆 Big news!! Beautiful Purpose: A Bipolar Film won Best Documentary at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival! 🎉🎥
We’ve been waiting so long to share this documentary with you, and now it’s finally out in the world! Please like, watch, share and comment- Link in Bio!!
This film means so much to us, and we’re beyond grateful to Samantha Sunshine for bravely sharing her story and creating a space for so many others to feel seen and supported. 💙✨ Thank you Samantha and the Beautiful Purpose Community!
Stay tuned for more bts photos and videos soon!
Beautiful Purpose: A Bipolar Film tells the inspiring story of Samantha Sunshine, a woman living with bipolar disorder who created a one-of-a-kind online community after years of struggling to find the support she needed.
Bipolar disorder affects over 60 million people worldwide, yet stigma often keeps conversations in the shadows. This film sheds light on the reality of living with bipolar disorder and the power of community.
🌟 If you or someone you love is navigating bipolar disorder, join Samantha’s group:
👉 Beautiful Purpose Community
Produced by: Jillian Ford
Filmed & Edited by: Nick Weiss
Featuring: Samantha Sunshine
🎬 Festival Recognitions:
🏆 Oregon Documentary Film Festival – Best Documentary Winner + Best Editing Nominee
🎞 Tacoma Film Festival – Pacific Northwest Short Film Selection
🎥 New York Lift-Off Film Festival – Short Documentary Film Selection
🧠Mental Filmness Selection
Thank you to everyone who has supported this journey! Let’s continue to break the stigma and uplift stories that matter. 💙
#beautifulpurpose #bipolarawareness #mentalhealth #documentary #community
A BONUS SCENE from our latest short doc featuring @kate_goldstein23 telling the story of their rushed marriage to @cass.hark following Trump’s election in January.
Kate and Cassidy wanted to make sure they were married just in case Trump and his Supreme Court ban gay marriage before their official wedding in October.
This story is an important reminder that just because this administration may not be targetting you, there are a plethora of social groups, namely the LGBTQ community and Immigrants, who’s civil rights are on the line.
Keep showing up for your neighbors and fight for their right to love who they wish.
#lgbtq #gayrights
Kathleen O’Connor Wang shares her story of training for a humanitarian mission to Gaza when they were under attack by Israel in 2008. The Palestinians were so grateful they made her a citizen of Palestine. #freepalestine #gazaunderattack #freedom #
