Audience and Distribution

"My position as president of the Bonner Foundation involves my working with 24 institutions of higher learning on a large- scale community service scholarship known a s the Bonner Scholars Program. When I learned of the (Alston's) new project, QUESTIONING FAITH, I was delighted. While a difficult subject matter, it is one that simply needs to be addressed. Not only do our students need a forum to better grapple with their own ordeal, they also need to better understand how people of different faiths and perspectives approach times of crisis."

Wayne Meisel,
President
The Corella and Bertram F. Bonner
Foundation, Inc.

The quest for meaning at the heart of this film is a universal one, cutting across the lines of race, class, gender, and culture. No life is spared of suffering, so it is our hope that this film might help to prepare people in advance, comfort people in the process, and heal people in its aftermath. We are working closely with our advisors who specialize in medical, psychological, and spiritual health and healing so that the film and its accompanying materials might actually make a difference in the lives of past, present, and future sufferers and trauma survivors.

QUESTIONING FAITH also offers an opportunity for people and communities of different faiths to understand each other better and an occasion to come together to build larger community. By telling stories of faith struggle from many perspectives, QUESTIONING FAITH can broaden understanding and aid people in all sorts of communities: the Jewish woman as she moves into the predominantly Protestant retirement home in Atlanta, Georgia; the gay son of fundamentalist Christian parents who believe they must disown him on religious grounds; the Muslim family in Oklahoma City who cannot escape the stereotype of terrorists in the eyes of their neighbors; and the atheist social worker whose co-workers consider her morally and professionally impaired just because she doesn't believe in God.

Alston's success as a filmmaker lies in his ability not only to complete projects, but also to create work with significant longevity. In addition to its national broadcasts and theatrical release, FAMILY NAME was made part of PBS' Television Race Initiative, a multi-year effort in which diverse, character-driven, high-profile public television broadcast of non-fiction films create a spine for community dialogue and problem-solving around the issue of race relations. Alston and his staff continue to support this initiative, traveling on a regular basis to schools and community organizations to screen and discuss the film. Such a track record is hard-won in our media-heavy climate. Moreover, it allows our sponsors and supporters to gain exposure in a variety of new venues.

In order to maximize the reach and facilitate the widest range of uses of QUESTIONING FAITH, we are expanding on the successful model used for FAMILY NAME and designing a comprehensive, multi-prong distribution plan that includes:

"We are proud to endorse Macky Alston's new project and are confident in the potential of QUESTIONING FAITH to touch all audiences with a message of understanding and inclusion in its exploration of faith and meaning."

Rabbi Carol Levithan,
Director of Programs
Jewish Community Center

"We believe this film's producers will create an exceptionally compelling educational tool. It is our intention to bring this film to a number of communities around the country so that schools, churches, YMCA'S and YWCA'S, Boys and Girls Clubs and other organizations can benefit from its message."

Reatha C. King, PhD.,
President and Executive Director
General Mills Foundation

Creation of the film at three lengths: 90 minutes, 60 minutes, and 30 minutes, so that it can have the maximum impact and versatility in a range of contexts, from theaters to classrooms;
Creation of 2 guides, one for adults, one for young people, designed to assist conversation facilitators as they engage their constituents in dialogue about the many themes and issues present in the film;
Theatrical release in festivals and art-house theaters around the world as well as an arts-oriented distribution program to museums and galleries;
National television broadcast on HBO/Cinemax with an accompanying High Impact distribution campaign similar to the Television Race Initiative model;
Educational and grassroots distribution to colleges and universities;
Educational distribution to middle and high schools;
Institutional distribution to nursing homes, prisons, community- and faith-based organizations;
Distribution to health-care organizations such as hospitals and grief-counseling centers;
An interactive web-site similar to that of FAMILY NAME (www.pov.org), which contains a space for visitors to respond to educational links, view clips, create on-line discussions, and access other relevant resources and links.