Update: Question Bridge Interactive has finished its fundraising campaign to expand the new media portion of the project, which will make over 1,600 video exchanges with black men available to the public. The team has surpassed its $68,000 goal to ultimately raise $77,676. The additional funding will support outreach, street teams, and a new mobile app. 

Here’s the original post, with background on the project, below.

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We’ve followed Question Bridge: Black Males with interest since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012, as the project is on the front end of a trend that will likely only grow in the near future – that is, the intersection of theatrical films with web and interactive content. As filmmakers continue to look for ways to make digital/web media accessible and profitable, I’d argue that some of the best innovations can be found in documentary. 

Through a series of 1,600 video exchanges with black males of all ages across the United States, Question Bridge seeks to “create a space to explore conversations about black male identity and make new discoveries in the process,” with the ultimate goal of reducing implicit bias in daily life. The project began in 2011 as a video art installation, has grown to include a feature-length film, and the team has now turned to Kickstarter to fund the third part of the project – an interactive website that will let visitors access all 1,600 original videos, see corresponding data, and upload content of their own. 

Question Bridge was created by artists Chris Johnson, Hank Willis Thomas, Bayete Ross Smith, and Kamal Sinclair, and is executive produced by Jesse Williams.  

I had a chance to see the film at last year’s LA Film Festival and talk with Jesse Williams about the project, his thoughts on black identity, and more. You can find that conversation HERE. 

Find the Question Bridge fundraising pitch below, and if you’d like to donate, do so HERE.