Citizen Film

Citizen Film is a documentary film company focusing on films and online media that foster active engagement in cultural and civic life. In July 2012, Special Projects supported Citizen Film, working with Drs. Condoleezza Rice and David Kennedy of Stanford University, to research and plan for a possible documentary film exploring what it means to be an American citizen. Having successfully completed the R&D phase, this grant would support the film’s production, exploring American notions of citizenship and identity, how these ideals have historically related to ideas about immigration and race, how these ideals may be changing, and the resultant public policy implications.

Citizen Film is a documentary production company that collaborates with cultural institutions and community organizations to create films and online media that foster active engagement in cultural and civic life. Drs. Condoleezza Rice and David Kennedy of Stanford are collaborating with Citizen Film to create a documentary series of one-hour films exploring what it means to be an American citizen. The film will explore: American notions of citizenship and identity, how these ideals have historically related to ideas about immigration and race, how these ideals may be changing, and resultant public policy implications (e.g., on immigration, education, economic opportunities). The goal is to initiate a national dialogue on what it means to be a citizen of the United States and the ways in which effective citizenship strengthens American democracy. This grant will fund the R&D component of what is expected to be a $2M film production project. This R&D phase will include a) film content plans (influential thinkers to include, key ideas to explore, how to contextualize the larger story (via historical analysis, etc.), the look and feel of the film, length, audiences, marketing plans, etc.; b) production budget and timeline; c) fundraising plans; and d) an audience-engagement strategy.

Citizen Film is devoted to documentary storytelling that fosters active participation in civic, cultural, and economic life. Through the films it produces, as well as collaboration with civic and cultural organizations, sculptural multimedia installations, and other documentary works, Citizen Film engages large audiences in civic spaces ranging from public media to public parks. This grant will support “American Creed 2,” a new documentary project and story-based public engagement campaign that builds on the successful audience-engagement strategies and partnerships developed for Citizen Film’s previous PBS documentary production, “American Creed,” with David M. Kennedy and Condoleezza Rice (2018). The project will present the stories of young adults who are actively engaged in their communities and who grapple with foundational and ongoing tensions in American life, offering potential solutions. “American Creed 2” aims to spark reflection, civil conversation, and action that strengthens American democracy by appealing to foundational ideals of freedom, fairness, and opportunity.