FRAME BY FRAME Community and Grassroots Screening Initiative

Transcription

1 FRAME BY FRAME Community and Grassroots Screening Initiative AUGUST 15, 2015 to DECEMBER 1, 2015 FILM SPROUT FINAL REPORT

2 BACKGROUND & GOALS Film Sprout s Frame by Frame Campus and Community Screenings Campaign launched on August 15, 2015 as a grassroots, nontheatrical distribution effort intended to create a national tour of public screenings of Frame by Frame across the United States. Envisioned as part of broader efforts to make the film accessible, approachable and available to core documentary audiences including working journalists and photojournalists, Afghan communities in the United States, and American university students the Film Sprout campaign also sought to build on the engagement and exhibition opportunities presented by the film s international festival run and limited theatrical release. And it sought to position Frame by Frame not merely as a work of cinema but as a dynamic educational tool for university faculty; a unique professional resource for working journalists and policymakers; and a vehicle for conversation and community building. Ultimately Frame by Frame s grassroots tour was successful in providing a forum for dialogue about the shifting role of the US in Afghanistan; the power of photojournalism to chart that evolving relationship; and the intersection of politics and private life in the experiences of Afghans. 2

3 CAMPAIGN SUCCESS Key Hosts and Partners Beginning August and ending December , Film Sprout exceeded initial campaign projections by coordinating 106 campus and community screenings of Frame by Frame among 82 distinct hosting organizations. A diverse range of local screening hosts hosted community screenings of the film, but the grassroots and local constituencies of several national organizations were particularly engaged in presenting local screenings. These included: AFGHAN WOMEN S WRITING PROJECT The AWWP supports the voices of women with the belief that to tell one s story is a human right. They hosted four screenings at four unique locations in the spring of 2016: Portland, Oakland, Alexandria and Tucson. SUPPORT ASSOCIATION FOR THE WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN (SAWA-AUSTRALIA) SAWA supports 12 local chapters across Australia. Of these, 10 chapters hosted screenings of the film. UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR UN WOMEN With 18 chapters across the country, the US National Committee for UN Women supports the goals of UN Women by advocating for projects that support gender equality and women s empowerment. Of the 18, four chapters hosted screenings of Frame by Frame in Boca Raton, Miami, Sarasota and Washington, DC. Geography Audience In addition to Frame by Frame s robust American presence, the film s appeal transcended national borders. The 106 screenings booked during Film Sprout s tenure took place in: 84 cities worldwide 27 American states, and Washington, DC 10 additional countries, including Australia, Canada, Georgia, Germany, India, Italy, Qatar, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Conservative estimates (based upon audience tallies reported by 89% of all confirmed screenings) suggests that approximately 9,900 individual people saw Frame by Frame in a community or campus screening facilitated by Film Sprout. 3

4 SURVEY RESULTS Post-screening survey results and host feedback, including detailed responses provided by 27% of screening hosts polled in the wake of Film Sprout s campaign, reveal the following: Audience Which of the options below identifies the age group most representative of your screening audience? Which of the options below best describes the gender balance of your audience? Which of the options below best describes the makeup of your audience? Younger than 18 years old 7.14% years old 32.14% years old 32.14% years old 14.29% years old 14.29% 65 and up 0% All women 0% All men 0% Predominantly women 25% Predominantly men 7.14% Women and men in equal number 67.86% High School students 8.7% Undergraduate students 34.78% Graduate students 8.7% Faculty, staff and administrators 0% Working journalists and photojournalists 8.7% Local community members 39.13% Communities of faith or faith leaders 0% Others 0% A screening at the Goethe-Institut in New Delhi. 4

5 Screening Location Which of the options below best describes the size and location of your screening? Rural town far from a metropolitan area 21.43% Suburb or small city within a metropolitan area 28.57% Inside the city limits of a major city 50% Discussion Which of the options below best describes the economic character of your screening location? Predominantly low-income area 10.71% Mixed-income area 71.43% Predominantly high-income or affluent area 17.86% Which of the following issues did you discuss or debate after your screening? Your perceptions of Kabul, of Afghanistan or of Afghans 64% The role of journalists and photojournalists in Afghanistan 82% The withdrawal of the American military from Afghanistan 25% The withdrawal of the American or international press corps from Afghanistan 14% Freedom of the press in Afghanistan 50% The future of Afghanistan 57% The making of Frame by Frame 54% A post-film Q&A session at the screening with Seeds of Peace at NYU Abu Dhabi. (Photo courtesy of Awista Ayub). A screening at the Goethe-Institut in New Delhi, with film subject Farzana Wahidy in attendance. 5

6 PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK In addition to quantitative data, the following testimonials, collected both over the course of the screening tour and via post-screening survey responses, indicate the value and reach of the film s community and campus screening campaign. Although raw screening and audience numbers help shed light on the reach and impact of the Frame by Frame grassroots campaign, anecdotal and qualitative measurements of the viewer experience offer an enhanced picture. This was by far one of the BEST programs we have brought to our high school! The students were genuinely captivated by the subject matter of the documentary and had some very powerful comments and questions after the film. Kevin Wagner, Carlisle High School A screening with the Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, Vancouver Chapter. I co-hosted with a local Afghan refugee called Rohullah. Mid-way through the film he whispered in my ear, I am going to say a poem at the end. Which he did. [But] he was crying so much, no-one understood a word. He said of the film. This is my Afghanistan. This is my story. Another refugee, Juma, said to me at the end, Your country is like your mother. That is what the love is like. This is a film about my mother. A screening at Deutsche Welle in Germany. Kim Bennett, Swan Hill Harmony Day 6

7 The whole thing went really well. A nice crowd and a really great discussion afterwards between journalists/ photojournalists, students and community members. A student from Afghanistan was also present and really added to the discussion. The room was completely silent after the film ended...very impactful. Really well done. Thank you! We were very excited to share the film with our Asian journalists that were hosting that week through the State Dept s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists. They were six women from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Sue Couling, University of Minnesota Syracuse University Screening Organizers The conversation was fantastic! Everybody loved the film and thought it was a great opportunity to see the country from inside out, from a local perspective. Fatima Mesquita, The Hamilton Dialogues Coverage of a screening at the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich 7

8 FRAME BY FRAME Community and Grassroots Screening Initiative AUGUST 15, 2015 to DECEMBER 1, 2015 FILM SPROUT FINAL REPORT 2016 FILM SPROUT 8