BODY POLITIC

The award-winning documentary THE BODY POLITIC released their theatrical trailer today and announced the first set of theatrical opening cinemas. The film is distributed by 8 Above with week-long runs beginning September 27 at DCTV in New York and on October 18 at the Laemmle North Hollywood 7 in Los Angeles and select cities to follow. The director and special guests will be in attendance for opening weekends in Los Angeles and New York. The film will launch its national broadcast and streaming on POV on PBS on November 25, 2024.

THE BODY POLITIC is a harbinger of hope in a country plagued by gun violence. Brandon Scott is a young Mayor who grew up during Baltimore’s most troubling years and sets out, with unyielding idealism, to change the course of his battered and beloved city. He is elected Mayor amid nationwide unrest following the murder of George Floyd. With unfettered access, cameras follow Brandon throughout his first year in office as he introduces an ambitious plan for violence reduction and police reform that he promises will lower the city’s murder rate.

Pundits claim Brandon’s political health and the city’s health are tied to the number 348 – the total murders Baltimore had the previous year, more homicides than New York City, a city 15 times its size. After entering office and barely getting a chance to enact his first safety reforms, violence surges to new highs. As the media and political foes attack his holistic approach, his commitment to his plan and principles put his political future in jeopardy. Will his holistic approach lead to healing and serve as a blueprint for the rest of the nation?

“Telling Mayor Scott’s story of how he’s striving to make an impact in our city of Baltimore amidst the continuing prevalence of gun violence is important to me as a filmmaker and resident of Baltimore,” states director Goodenough. “In the end, we made a film about the healing of our city, a film that hopefully serves as a pathway to healing for the rest of the nation. I am hopeful this film will be an example to inspire others to take action.”

Following its World Premiere at Sheffield DocFest 2023, the film has screened at over 25 film festivals, winning 9 total awards, 7 Audience Awards including the Top Ten Audience Favorite at Sheffield 2023. These festivals include DC/DOX 2023, Zanzibar International Film Festival 2023, Hartland 2023, IDF 2023, Big Sky 2024, Martha’s Vineyard 2024, One World International 2024, Atlanta 2024, DocLands 2024, Woodshold 2024, Middlebury 2024, and more.

THE BODY POLITIC is a ROWHOUSE, LC Production produced by Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough, Dawne Langford, and John Benam and co-produced with ITVS. The film is executive produced by Marilyn Ness, Katy Chevigny, Mark Grieco, Brock Williams, Jeffrey Pechter, Rudy Valdez and Sally Jo Fifer for ITVS. The film is edited by Thomas Niles and composed by Caleb Stine. Clarke Lyons, Matt Riggieri, Nick Kovacic, Capella Fahoome, and Jessica Hudson are co-producers with cinematography by John Benam and Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough. The soundtrack features music by The California Honeydrops, Dan Romer, and Genius/GZA (feat. Method Man).

About Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough (Director/Producer)
Gabriel is a proud third-generation resident of Baltimore, Maryland. He began his career as a production assistant on the TV series HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREETS, later becoming a camera assistant on projects such as A BEAUTIFUL MIND, THE SOPRANOS, and OZ. He served as a camera operator on the Steven Soderbergh-produced and George Clooney-directed HBO series UNSCRIPTED and has been a cinematographer on documentaries for PBS, Netflix, and HBO. In 2017, he co-produced the Mexican/United States co-production of the feature documentary AGAVE: THE SPIRIT OF A NATION (SXSW, 2018). From 2018-19, he worked in the Philippines photographing and co-producing Ramona Diaz’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary A THOUSAND CUTS (Sundance, 2020) about Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa. After returning from the Philippines, Gabriel was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Treatment for the disease has left him disabled and without full mobility in his right leg. Physically unable to return to his previous career as a full-time verité cameraperson, he has kept his passion for documentaries alive by shifting his focus to directing. THE BODY POLITIC represents his first time as a feature documentary director. Gabriel is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and a 2018 Katherine Davis Fellow For Peace. He speaks Spanish and has worked on several projects in Latin America.

About Dawne Langford (Producer)
Filmmaker Dawne Langford is a 2023 Sundance Women to Watch Adobe x Fellow and a 2022-23 Sundance Producers Lab Fellow. After years of working as a broadcast television editor, she expanded her role after her acceptance to the PBS Producers Academy in 2013. She shifted her focus to producing independent feature documentaries CHECK IT, KANDAHAR JOURNALS, and FINDING JOSEPH I. Dawne collaborated on projects for CNN Films, CGTN, Discovery Channel, and Moxie Pictures in N.Y.C. with director Lee Hirsch. Currently, films that she’s producing include the ITVS supported and soon to be broadcast documentary feature, THE BODY POLITIC, with director/producer Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough. She is in late post-production on the documentary WHO KILLED ALEX ODEH, with directors Jason Osder and William Youmans. She is also working on two projects in development/early production YOU DON’T KNOW MY NAME with director Tommy Franklin and on a new project with RADA Studios directors Michele Stephenson and Joe Brewster. Her motivation and primary interest is amplifying traditionally suppressed narratives and presentations of historical events to deepen understanding, support learning, and stimulate community dialogue.
About John Benam (Producer & Cinematographer)
Two-time Emmy Award winner John Benam is a Baltimore-based filmmaker and cinematographer. He has over two decades of experience producing, directing, and shooting a wide variety of programming for an array of networks and collaborators. His latest documentary project ASSASSINS had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. His passion for social justice is evident in his critically acclaimed film CHARM CITY which revealed the complex world of community-police relations. That same year at Sundance, THIS IS HOME chronicled the plight of a Syrian refugee family as they navigated a new life in the United States. As Director of Photography on Netflix’s 2017 Emmy-nominated series THE KEEPERS, John created an authentic connection with the courageous survivors of abuse who trusted him to help bring their truth to the screen.

About 8 ABOVE
8 ABOVE is a theatrical distributor and rights management partner dedicated to connecting award-winning independent films with audiences. Working in close partnership with filmmakers, 8 Above develops strategies that build community and social impact around unique theatrical experiences. Founded by distribution pioneer Jon Reiss, 8 Above has developed bespoke audience-building strategies and theatrical campaigns for independent films, specialty films, and documentaries, including HOOLIGAN SPARROW, THE FIRST STEP, TWO GODS, THE DISRUPTED, MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE, SWEETHEART DANCERS, SURVIVING SEX TRAFFICKING, NASRIN, AND NO SMALL MATTER.

OFFICIAL FILM WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/bodypolitic/

WEBSITE: https://www.thebodypoliticfilm.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebodypoliticfilm

IG: @Thebodypoliticfilm

Twitter: @_TheBodyPolitic