America Rise
Seattle, Washington | Film Feature
Documentary
Born out of the Women’s March on Washington, the documentary America Rise tells the story of women leading the way in the collective battle to hold our nation to a higher standard of justice and compassion.
America Rise
Seattle, Washington | Film Feature
Documentary
1 Campaigns | Washington, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $28,030 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
115 supporters | followers
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Born out of the Women’s March on Washington, the documentary America Rise tells the story of women leading the way in the collective battle to hold our nation to a higher standard of justice and compassion.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THANK YOU!
The power of the people really came through for us to make this campaign a success! Now, we can continue documenting the movements of change happening in our country. Our sincere gratitude to all of our supporters!
As independent filmmakers, we rely heavily on the generous donations from those of you who share our belief in a free and equal democracy. We appreciate any additional support while we finish production on America Rise. Tax-deductible donations can be made at this link through our fiscal sponsor Northwest Film Forum, a 501(c)(3) organization.
THE STORY
This is a story of women leading the way as the voices of America demand change. It will take you into the many movements that are currently taking action for a better democracy. America Rise sends a message of resilience, determination, and optimism.
Born out of the Women’s March on Washington, America Rise is a documentary about the essential power of the people. As the Power To The Polls, Me Too and ENOUGH movements make dynamic shifts in the American societal landscape, this film will continue documenting this culture of change through the telling of personal stories. The directing duo, Sarah Kennedy and Brian Overholt are now documenting stories from Power To The Polls. They were in Washington D.C. for March for Our lives and covered the National School Walkouts on Friday, April 20th.
HOW IT STARTED AND WHY MILLIONS MARCHED
The Women's March on Washington 2017 is now recorded as the largest one day protest in U.S. history, with nearly 5 million marching. We were there in over ten cities to document this historical moment. For many Americans, it was hard to accept that the country had elected such a President in 2016. A man who had campaigned by uttering sentiments of hate, misogyny, racism and general bigotry about the very people he hoped to lead. Women who had been organizing for years, and also people who were taking action for the first time, used their voices and influence to say enough is enough.
WHO WE ARE
Seattle based director Brian Overholt first became aware that hundreds of marches were happening that day in January 2017 when his Mom made the decision to march in Washington D.C. Its significance really hit home when she told him, “They recommend we bring a black sharpie to write our personal information on our arm before the march, in case of riots. It’s a little scary, but it’s physically impossible for me not to go. I have to march". Brian then felt inspired to do something himself. He called Nashville based filmmaker Sarah Kennedy who he had collaborated with in the past. They quickly decided to organize documentary coverage of multiple marches across the country.
Director Sarah Kennedy says, “My goal is to prove to myself and to other women and men that change is indeed possible if we can learn to understand and harness our own power, exercise our influence, and continue to persist against the patriarchy.” Co-director Brian Overholt adds, “Durng the march it felt like a historical movement was starting, we now know that to be the case. It opened my eyes to what people can really do when they decide to take action and that's the story we want to tell."
MEET THE ACTION TAKERS
FATHIA
Fathia Absie is a Somali-American filmmaker, writer and activist. Based in Seattle, Fathia brings people of different backgrounds together through her program Eat With Muslims. Through this community engagement, she works to demystify the “single story” that has been negatively attached to Muslims around the world.
ABBY
Abby is a Brooklyn based comedian and activist who volunteered for the march in NYC and is part of Lady Parts Justice League. An activist group focused on fighting for reproductive rights. Through her comedy, she helps to break abortion stigma, brings damaging legislation and lawmakers into the light, and advocates for reproductive freedom.
CAROLINE
Caroline Mann organized the Knoxville Women’s March, which drew nearly 10,000 marchers. She had never been an activist or even participated in a protest before the January 21 march. Caroline says, “The election was such a shock to my system, I couldn't remain inactive. I couldn’t continue to be a passive bystander. I had to start working for change, for my kids and for my own sanity”.
CLEO
Cleo Barnett, is the Program director for Amplifier.org. Amplifier is responsible for the We the People poster art campaign. These iconic protest signs were created by artist Shepard Fairey in collaboration with other artists and social activist leaders. Amplifier paid for nearly one million of these portable protest signs to go out with copies of the Washington Post the day of the march. Cleo drove to Washington in a van and passed many out herself.
Cleo says, "When the whole world is watching and how can we support this moment in time, through a very strong, cohesive storytelling project that could bring people together and it could act as a bridge for both sides. It’s not about left or right, it’s about, where are we as United States citizens, what do we stand for and what are our values"
KATELYN
Nine months after the march, the directors traveled to Detroit, Michigan to film the Women’s Convention. Here, over 5,000 women from all across the country came together to network, strategize, and unite. Over the weekend, the team happened to meet writer and trans-advocate Katelyn Burns. During a honest and in-depth interview, Katelyn talks about her experience as a transgender woman at the Women’s March in Portland, Maine. The sea of pink pussy hats and vast ocean of uterus art was disorienting and off-putting for her as a trans woman. Katelyn goes on to explain that she had a change of heart when she experienced a profound connection with a fellow female marcher. She says, “We realized that we have a shared fight. We realized that womanhood could be less about the flesh and more about the fight. We are all fighting to have control over our own bodies."
PRODUCTION IN 2018: GAINING MOMENTUM AND POSITIONS OF POWER
America Rise had film crews present at the Women's March 2.0 in Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Knoxville, TN. As this latest wave of feminism continues to gain momentum, so does the film's production. For Power To The Polls our focus will be on a couple key campaigns during this historic year of women running for office. March For Our Lives started after the tragic mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida were 17 young lives were lost. We have been there to cover the school walkouts, the D.C. rally and the Town Hall for Our Lives. We will continue filming as these young activist take action for safer communities.
America Rise will be in production through 2018 midterms. During this time a number of short documentary pieces will be produced focusing on the key issues addressed in the feature film. These shorts will be used for screenings, outreach, and promotion while the feature is being finished. The documentary will be completed and will begin private screenings in late 2019. Festival and public screenings will begin in earlier 2020 and will continue through the election season.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
#CaseForOptimism
America Rise is taking action to show that it is possible to maintain optimism in a world where it's easy to be pessimistic. But, it takes an engaged active society to create a better democracy. Each person, in each of our communities, doing what we can when we can for positive change. Together, we can create the world that we want to live in.
JOIN US BY SUPPORTING THIS FILM! THANK YOU!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
LED 1X1 Bi-Color Litepanel
Costs $1,100
It will provide flexibility in capturing higher quality interviews and images at a moments notice.
Lavalier Mic
Costs $630
We are now covering multiple events at once and the need for two microphones is great.
Zoom Audio Recorder
Costs $350
The need to capture just audio at rallies and marches has become a crucial part of our process.
2018 Campaign Coverage
Costs $19,250
Paying for the expenses of traveling to at least three cities. A breakdown is in the story section.
Operating Cost
Costs $5,250
This will pay for a services and support staff for website, editing, social media management etc.
Fees/Incentive Cost
Costs $5,250
The cost of Campaign Fees and Incentives. Help us move past this part, huh.
2017 Story Wrap-Ups
Costs $2,670
We will wrap up the stories from 2017. Most with final interviews.
Share this update!
About This Team
SARAH KENNEDY - Director/Producer
Sarah is an Emmy-nominated director who is passionate about being a social advocate and telling stories that matter. Powered with a degree in fine art and 10 years of professional expertise in journalism and commercial TV production, Sarah has a strong and calculated cinematic voice and has directed several award-winning shorts. Her work most prior to this film includes a series of mini documentaries about the struggle and rebirth in rural communities across the state of Tennessee.
BRIAN OVERHOLT - Producer/Director
Brian is a filmmaker and human rights advocate who enjoys merging the two world’s whenever possible. He lived most of his life in East Tennessee before making the move to Seattle just over six years ago. Brian started his career in Local TV News and became an award-winning photojournalist. During that time he spent six years on a documentary entitled, Pigeon River Project. It follows the story of his hometown community’s fight to clean the polluted river that runs through Newport, TN. A paper mill has polluted it since 1908. Brian is directing and producing more projects as of late, while still making time for his first love of cinematography. As a freelancer he is involved in multiple-projects at a time, currently he is the Director of Photography for the Seattle based series CUDDLE that is due out by the end of 2018. www.dboverholt.com
SANDY JEGLUM - Editor/Digital Media Producer
Sandy is a Seattle based documentary film editor and producer. Most recently, Sandy edited the feature-length documentary Headhunt Revisited (2017) and was the co-producer/assistant editor of the feature-length documentary CRAZYWISE (2017). As a digital media producer, Sandy has run successful crowdfunding campaigns for various films. Women’s rights and human rights have always been at the center of Sandy’s career and she is excited to continue working toward gender equity as the editor of America Rise.
LAURA WOODSON - Graphic Designer
I have always had a passion to work with my hands. When I'm designing, drawing, painting or making something, that is my happy place. I have ten years experience and enjoy the challenges that derive from each new project. I aspire to create interesting, visually appealing designs that make a strong statement. Collaboration, oftentimes, is one of the best ways to achieve the highest point of creativity. I have established a solid background in brand identity, logo development, and hand lettering. My approach will be to brainstorm with my clients and to develop good ideas with their needs in mind. Do you have design needs? Let's work together to make something amazing!
RYAN ENKEMA- Camera
Ryan grew up in the PNW and has been working as a freelance videographer and photographer for nearly a decade. He has shot for both television and narrative projects, as well as corporate videos, live music and music videos, in addition to print media. His work has been featured in film festivals, on television, and in magazines.
EXTENDED TEAM:
SUSAN LASALLE - Consulting Producer
Susan is a producer and has managed over 200 documentaries, commercials and PSAs. From 2012 - 2014 Susan produced feature length documentary, The Breach, which earned a Best of Fest award at the 2015 Palm Springs International Film Festival and Best International Documentary at Galway Ireland Film Festival in 2014.
AMIE NEWMAN - Communications Advisor
Amie is a creative writer, editor and communications professional. Amie's career has a focus on global health and development, gender equity, and reproductive justice. Her experience includes working as the Global Communications Specialist for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Amie is a freelance writer and editor for Ask Me About My Uterus, and staff writer for the digital platform, Our Bodies Ourselves.
MICHAEL TOMPSET - Contributing Artist
Michael worked as a senior designer in London for 12 years before bidding farewell and moving south to Spain. He now dedicates himself full time to artistic pursuits in the tranquil surroundings of a Mediterranean coastal village. Michael's beautiful art piece of the Statue Of Liberty was repesented in the Seattle Women's March 2.0. We contacted him about doing a collorbration for our campaign and he loved the idea. Our graphic designer Laura Woodson worked with him to create the campaigns AMERICA RISE movie poster.
SPECIAL THANKS: To those who have helped us get through production and development so far with gear support, filming, financial support, and also emotional and creative advice and counsel. We couldn't have gotten to this point without all of you: Darci Davis, Nacny Wilson, Susan LaSalle, Virginia Bogert, Stefanie Malone, Kate Dandel, Julie Mullaney, Lars Larson, Jared Manley, Hageman, Jill and Jim Overholt, Tom and Becky Hodge, Bill and Odette Shults, Paul and Shannon Miller, Clara Hankins, Samantha Scaffidi, Michelle Pomeroy, Rachel Kline, Brian Mcnew, Koerner Camera Rentals, Karen MacDonald, Brion Rockwell, Carla Torgenson, Cristina Pacheco, Kate and Gary Dornan, Jody and Barron Kennedy, Edy Recindez, Pedro Sandoval, Nancy Gonzalez, Michaela Marchardt, and there are so many more we could name the list would go on forever. Thank you to everyone. -Gratitude
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THANK YOU!
The power of the people really came through for us to make this campaign a success! Now, we can continue documenting the movements of change happening in our country. Our sincere gratitude to all of our supporters!
As independent filmmakers, we rely heavily on the generous donations from those of you who share our belief in a free and equal democracy. We appreciate any additional support while we finish production on America Rise. Tax-deductible donations can be made at this link through our fiscal sponsor Northwest Film Forum, a 501(c)(3) organization.
THE STORY
This is a story of women leading the way as the voices of America demand change. It will take you into the many movements that are currently taking action for a better democracy. America Rise sends a message of resilience, determination, and optimism.
Born out of the Women’s March on Washington, America Rise is a documentary about the essential power of the people. As the Power To The Polls, Me Too and ENOUGH movements make dynamic shifts in the American societal landscape, this film will continue documenting this culture of change through the telling of personal stories. The directing duo, Sarah Kennedy and Brian Overholt are now documenting stories from Power To The Polls. They were in Washington D.C. for March for Our lives and covered the National School Walkouts on Friday, April 20th.
HOW IT STARTED AND WHY MILLIONS MARCHED
The Women's March on Washington 2017 is now recorded as the largest one day protest in U.S. history, with nearly 5 million marching. We were there in over ten cities to document this historical moment. For many Americans, it was hard to accept that the country had elected such a President in 2016. A man who had campaigned by uttering sentiments of hate, misogyny, racism and general bigotry about the very people he hoped to lead. Women who had been organizing for years, and also people who were taking action for the first time, used their voices and influence to say enough is enough.
WHO WE ARE
Seattle based director Brian Overholt first became aware that hundreds of marches were happening that day in January 2017 when his Mom made the decision to march in Washington D.C. Its significance really hit home when she told him, “They recommend we bring a black sharpie to write our personal information on our arm before the march, in case of riots. It’s a little scary, but it’s physically impossible for me not to go. I have to march". Brian then felt inspired to do something himself. He called Nashville based filmmaker Sarah Kennedy who he had collaborated with in the past. They quickly decided to organize documentary coverage of multiple marches across the country.
Director Sarah Kennedy says, “My goal is to prove to myself and to other women and men that change is indeed possible if we can learn to understand and harness our own power, exercise our influence, and continue to persist against the patriarchy.” Co-director Brian Overholt adds, “Durng the march it felt like a historical movement was starting, we now know that to be the case. It opened my eyes to what people can really do when they decide to take action and that's the story we want to tell."
MEET THE ACTION TAKERS
FATHIA
Fathia Absie is a Somali-American filmmaker, writer and activist. Based in Seattle, Fathia brings people of different backgrounds together through her program Eat With Muslims. Through this community engagement, she works to demystify the “single story” that has been negatively attached to Muslims around the world.
ABBY
Abby is a Brooklyn based comedian and activist who volunteered for the march in NYC and is part of Lady Parts Justice League. An activist group focused on fighting for reproductive rights. Through her comedy, she helps to break abortion stigma, brings damaging legislation and lawmakers into the light, and advocates for reproductive freedom.
CAROLINE
Caroline Mann organized the Knoxville Women’s March, which drew nearly 10,000 marchers. She had never been an activist or even participated in a protest before the January 21 march. Caroline says, “The election was such a shock to my system, I couldn't remain inactive. I couldn’t continue to be a passive bystander. I had to start working for change, for my kids and for my own sanity”.
CLEO
Cleo Barnett, is the Program director for Amplifier.org. Amplifier is responsible for the We the People poster art campaign. These iconic protest signs were created by artist Shepard Fairey in collaboration with other artists and social activist leaders. Amplifier paid for nearly one million of these portable protest signs to go out with copies of the Washington Post the day of the march. Cleo drove to Washington in a van and passed many out herself.
Cleo says, "When the whole world is watching and how can we support this moment in time, through a very strong, cohesive storytelling project that could bring people together and it could act as a bridge for both sides. It’s not about left or right, it’s about, where are we as United States citizens, what do we stand for and what are our values"
KATELYN
Nine months after the march, the directors traveled to Detroit, Michigan to film the Women’s Convention. Here, over 5,000 women from all across the country came together to network, strategize, and unite. Over the weekend, the team happened to meet writer and trans-advocate Katelyn Burns. During a honest and in-depth interview, Katelyn talks about her experience as a transgender woman at the Women’s March in Portland, Maine. The sea of pink pussy hats and vast ocean of uterus art was disorienting and off-putting for her as a trans woman. Katelyn goes on to explain that she had a change of heart when she experienced a profound connection with a fellow female marcher. She says, “We realized that we have a shared fight. We realized that womanhood could be less about the flesh and more about the fight. We are all fighting to have control over our own bodies."
PRODUCTION IN 2018: GAINING MOMENTUM AND POSITIONS OF POWER
America Rise had film crews present at the Women's March 2.0 in Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Knoxville, TN. As this latest wave of feminism continues to gain momentum, so does the film's production. For Power To The Polls our focus will be on a couple key campaigns during this historic year of women running for office. March For Our Lives started after the tragic mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida were 17 young lives were lost. We have been there to cover the school walkouts, the D.C. rally and the Town Hall for Our Lives. We will continue filming as these young activist take action for safer communities.
America Rise will be in production through 2018 midterms. During this time a number of short documentary pieces will be produced focusing on the key issues addressed in the feature film. These shorts will be used for screenings, outreach, and promotion while the feature is being finished. The documentary will be completed and will begin private screenings in late 2019. Festival and public screenings will begin in earlier 2020 and will continue through the election season.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
#CaseForOptimism
America Rise is taking action to show that it is possible to maintain optimism in a world where it's easy to be pessimistic. But, it takes an engaged active society to create a better democracy. Each person, in each of our communities, doing what we can when we can for positive change. Together, we can create the world that we want to live in.
JOIN US BY SUPPORTING THIS FILM! THANK YOU!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
LED 1X1 Bi-Color Litepanel
Costs $1,100
It will provide flexibility in capturing higher quality interviews and images at a moments notice.
Lavalier Mic
Costs $630
We are now covering multiple events at once and the need for two microphones is great.
Zoom Audio Recorder
Costs $350
The need to capture just audio at rallies and marches has become a crucial part of our process.
2018 Campaign Coverage
Costs $19,250
Paying for the expenses of traveling to at least three cities. A breakdown is in the story section.
Operating Cost
Costs $5,250
This will pay for a services and support staff for website, editing, social media management etc.
Fees/Incentive Cost
Costs $5,250
The cost of Campaign Fees and Incentives. Help us move past this part, huh.
2017 Story Wrap-Ups
Costs $2,670
We will wrap up the stories from 2017. Most with final interviews.
Share this update!
About This Team
SARAH KENNEDY - Director/Producer
Sarah is an Emmy-nominated director who is passionate about being a social advocate and telling stories that matter. Powered with a degree in fine art and 10 years of professional expertise in journalism and commercial TV production, Sarah has a strong and calculated cinematic voice and has directed several award-winning shorts. Her work most prior to this film includes a series of mini documentaries about the struggle and rebirth in rural communities across the state of Tennessee.
BRIAN OVERHOLT - Producer/Director
Brian is a filmmaker and human rights advocate who enjoys merging the two world’s whenever possible. He lived most of his life in East Tennessee before making the move to Seattle just over six years ago. Brian started his career in Local TV News and became an award-winning photojournalist. During that time he spent six years on a documentary entitled, Pigeon River Project. It follows the story of his hometown community’s fight to clean the polluted river that runs through Newport, TN. A paper mill has polluted it since 1908. Brian is directing and producing more projects as of late, while still making time for his first love of cinematography. As a freelancer he is involved in multiple-projects at a time, currently he is the Director of Photography for the Seattle based series CUDDLE that is due out by the end of 2018. www.dboverholt.com
SANDY JEGLUM - Editor/Digital Media Producer
Sandy is a Seattle based documentary film editor and producer. Most recently, Sandy edited the feature-length documentary Headhunt Revisited (2017) and was the co-producer/assistant editor of the feature-length documentary CRAZYWISE (2017). As a digital media producer, Sandy has run successful crowdfunding campaigns for various films. Women’s rights and human rights have always been at the center of Sandy’s career and she is excited to continue working toward gender equity as the editor of America Rise.
LAURA WOODSON - Graphic Designer
I have always had a passion to work with my hands. When I'm designing, drawing, painting or making something, that is my happy place. I have ten years experience and enjoy the challenges that derive from each new project. I aspire to create interesting, visually appealing designs that make a strong statement. Collaboration, oftentimes, is one of the best ways to achieve the highest point of creativity. I have established a solid background in brand identity, logo development, and hand lettering. My approach will be to brainstorm with my clients and to develop good ideas with their needs in mind. Do you have design needs? Let's work together to make something amazing!
RYAN ENKEMA- Camera
Ryan grew up in the PNW and has been working as a freelance videographer and photographer for nearly a decade. He has shot for both television and narrative projects, as well as corporate videos, live music and music videos, in addition to print media. His work has been featured in film festivals, on television, and in magazines.
EXTENDED TEAM:
SUSAN LASALLE - Consulting Producer
Susan is a producer and has managed over 200 documentaries, commercials and PSAs. From 2012 - 2014 Susan produced feature length documentary, The Breach, which earned a Best of Fest award at the 2015 Palm Springs International Film Festival and Best International Documentary at Galway Ireland Film Festival in 2014.
AMIE NEWMAN - Communications Advisor
Amie is a creative writer, editor and communications professional. Amie's career has a focus on global health and development, gender equity, and reproductive justice. Her experience includes working as the Global Communications Specialist for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Amie is a freelance writer and editor for Ask Me About My Uterus, and staff writer for the digital platform, Our Bodies Ourselves.
MICHAEL TOMPSET - Contributing Artist
Michael worked as a senior designer in London for 12 years before bidding farewell and moving south to Spain. He now dedicates himself full time to artistic pursuits in the tranquil surroundings of a Mediterranean coastal village. Michael's beautiful art piece of the Statue Of Liberty was repesented in the Seattle Women's March 2.0. We contacted him about doing a collorbration for our campaign and he loved the idea. Our graphic designer Laura Woodson worked with him to create the campaigns AMERICA RISE movie poster.
SPECIAL THANKS: To those who have helped us get through production and development so far with gear support, filming, financial support, and also emotional and creative advice and counsel. We couldn't have gotten to this point without all of you: Darci Davis, Nacny Wilson, Susan LaSalle, Virginia Bogert, Stefanie Malone, Kate Dandel, Julie Mullaney, Lars Larson, Jared Manley, Hageman, Jill and Jim Overholt, Tom and Becky Hodge, Bill and Odette Shults, Paul and Shannon Miller, Clara Hankins, Samantha Scaffidi, Michelle Pomeroy, Rachel Kline, Brian Mcnew, Koerner Camera Rentals, Karen MacDonald, Brion Rockwell, Carla Torgenson, Cristina Pacheco, Kate and Gary Dornan, Jody and Barron Kennedy, Edy Recindez, Pedro Sandoval, Nancy Gonzalez, Michaela Marchardt, and there are so many more we could name the list would go on forever. Thank you to everyone. -Gratitude