Blowback Productions

06/22/2021

Marc and Dan, father and son, at the I Promise Tribeca Festival prescreening cocktail reception.

Marc and Dan, father and son, at the I Promise Tribeca Festival prescreening cocktail reception.

06/18/2021

Come meet the extraordinary students, staff and families of I PROMISE.
Premiering June 19 Tribeca

Thank you to all our amazing partners on this project I Promise School, LeBron James Family Foundation, LeBron James, The SpringHill Company, Maverick Carter, and RYOT

06/15/2021

“It’s almost like when you grow up in the inner city or grow up in the projects, no one cares about you. So many kids like myself have dreams and the only thing to stop those dreams from becoming a reality is the support around them.” - Lebron James

Learn the story behind the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio in I PROMISE premiering June 19 at Tribeca.

06/14/2021

“Public education is the bedrock of a free and healthy society. Yet there has been a steady move to denigrate and disinvest in our public schools. We spent a year chronicling the start of this new I PROMISE SCHOOL in Akron Ohio. Their goal is to be a nationally recognized model of urban and public school excellence.” - Marc Levin, Director of I PROMISE.

See what it takes to create real change. I PROMISE premieres June 19 at Tribeca.

#IPROMISE

Photo Credit: Jackson Devereux

06/11/2021

Captain Peter Hammarstedt fearlessly led his crew for 110 days across 3 oceans and 2 seas. Stream #chasingthethunder now on discovery+ to follow Sea Shepherd's epic 10,000 mile pursuit of the "Thunder." Download and subscribe on #discoveryplus: http://discoverypl.us/2L1fLrX

Directors: Mark Benjamin & Marc Levin
Production: Brick City TV

Captain Peter Hammarstedt fearlessly led his crew for 110 days across 3 oceans and 2 seas. Stream #chasingthethunder now on discovery+ to follow Sea Shepherd's epic 10,000 mile pursuit of the "Thunder." Download and subscribe on #discoveryplus: http://discoverypl.us/2L1fLrX

Directors: Mark Benjamin & Marc Levin
Production: Brick City TV

06/10/2021

I PROMISE

Premiering June 19th @Tribeca this film tells the powerful story of year one at the I PROMISE School and LeBron James’ efforts to close the achievement gap in his hometown of Akron.
We can't wait for you to meet the extraordinary students, staff and families of I PROMISE.

Thank you to all our amazing partners on this project I Promise School LeBron James Family Foundation LeBron James The SpringHill Company RYOT

#IPROMISE

I PROMISE

Premiering June 19th @Tribeca this film tells the powerful story of year one at the I PROMISE School and LeBron James’ efforts to close the achievement gap in his hometown of Akron.
We can't wait for you to meet the extraordinary students, staff and families of I PROMISE.

Thank you to all our amazing partners on this project I Promise School LeBron James Family Foundation LeBron James The SpringHill Company RYOT

#IPROMISE

06/09/2021

‘It was sink or turn yourself in’: behind a dangerous 10,000-mile ocean pursuit

"For 110 days in early 2015, the Bob Barker, a ship outfitted by the non-profit Sea Shepherd to police some of the planet’s most remote waters, chased the Spanish-owned Thunder for over 10,000 nautical miles, from the Antarctic to the western coast of Africa..."

A fantastic write-up of Chasing The Thunder by Adrian Horton in The Guardian today.
https://bit.ly/3cu7yHA

Mark Benjamin

Documentary Chasing the Thunder tracks a high-stakes 2015 chase of an illegal fishing ship through storms and near collision, from Antarctica to Africa

06/09/2021

Stream #ChasingtheThunder now on @discoveryplus. Download and subscribe at the link in our bio!

#chasingthethunder #seashepherd #discoveryplus

Stream #ChasingtheThunder now on @discoveryplus. Download and subscribe at the link in our bio!

#chasingthethunder #seashepherd #discoveryplus

06/03/2021

We're thrilled to announce CHASING THE THUNDER streams on @discoveryplus on Tuesday, June 8. 🌊 Directed by Brick City TV's very own Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin – this documentary is, "an international crime story with real life sleuths and activists who are fighting to save our oceans" that you won't want to miss!

A BRICK CITY-VULCAN-DISCOVERY production.
#chasingthethunder #discoveryplus #worldoceansday

We're thrilled to announce CHASING THE THUNDER streams on @discoveryplus on Tuesday, June 8. 🌊 Directed by Brick City TV's very own Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin – this documentary is, "an international crime story with real life sleuths and activists who are fighting to save our oceans" that you won't want to miss!

A BRICK CITY-VULCAN-DISCOVERY production.
#chasingthethunder #discoveryplus #worldoceansday

06/03/2021

Chasing the Thunder | discovery+

Follow this epic 110-day, 10k mile chase of the "Thunder," the world's most notorious poaching vessel on June 8 on
Discovery +🌊 “It’s a triumph of cinematic storytelling with a message as powerful as shark jaws. You will not soon forget it.” –Bill Moyers, PBS. Directed by Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin https://www.facebook.com/AnimalPlanet/videos/772759333440715

05/03/2021

At a time when we are once again looking at how government can support families, workers, and even artists with direct payments, it is worth looking back at the last major Federal Arts Job program, the CETA Arts Project in 1978. THE FEDERAL ARTIST documents that effort in New York City where 500 artists were hired to do their art and work with their communities. Watch the full documentary FOR FREE on YouTube now! Link in bio 👀

The CETA Media Works guerilla documentation team: Emilio Murillo, Michael Jacobsohn, Diallo McLinn, Marc Levin and George Diaz - photo by George Malave

At a time when we are once again looking at how government can support families, workers, and even artists with direct payments, it is worth looking back at the last major Federal Arts Job program, the CETA Arts Project in 1978. THE FEDERAL ARTIST documents that effort in New York City where 500 artists were hired to do their art and work with their communities. Watch the full documentary FOR FREE on YouTube now! Link in bio 👀

The CETA Media Works guerilla documentation team: Emilio Murillo, Michael Jacobsohn, Diallo McLinn, Marc Levin and George Diaz - photo by George Malave

04/29/2021

We're so excited to announce I PROMISE, the feature-length documentary, will be celebrating its WORLD PREMIERE at the @tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, June 9! You won't want to miss the outdoor screening at the Brooklyn Metrotech Commons @ 5:00 PM - tickets available May 10! See you there

We're so excited to announce I PROMISE, the feature-length documentary, will be celebrating its WORLD PREMIERE at the @tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, June 9! You won't want to miss the outdoor screening at the Brooklyn Metrotech Commons @ 5:00 PM - tickets available May 10! See you there

04/28/2021

Our first in-person office meeting of 2021 - the Blowback Fam marches on! Big updates coming soon...

03/05/2021

Congratulations to the @michaeldtubbs , SEED @stocktondemo, and the people of Stockton for proving that a basic income not only works in modern America, but is also needed. When we met Michael in our documentary "Stockton On My Mind," basic income was still a fringe idea. Now within a few years it's become mainstream, and the success it's had in Stockton has influenced other cities across the country. Today over 40 cities have joined forces in Mayor's for a Guaranteed Income to develop UBI programs @mayorsforagi .
Watch how Stockton’s UBI got started in “Stockton On My Mind," now streaming on HBO Max

(https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/03/stockton-universal-basic-income/ and https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/03/03/universal-basic-income-andrew-yang-guaranteed-more-cities-test-monthly-check/6890858002/)

02/11/2021

Every American and the whole world needs to see the last 2 hours of today's trial of Donald Trump - it is a lesson generations will study - the evidence is overwhelming - trump is guilty of inciting a mob to try and overturn the election and the people's will - it is chilling to see how close we came to democracy or dictatorship -but that doesn't mean trump will be convicted because of the moral cowardice of the GOP - a black capital policeman who tried to restrain the mob and was viciously attacked, broke down and asked, "Is this America?" That is the question we all have to answer.
#impeachment

Every American and the whole world needs to see the last 2 hours of today's trial of Donald Trump - it is a lesson generations will study - the evidence is overwhelming - trump is guilty of inciting a mob to try and overturn the election and the people's will - it is chilling to see how close we came to democracy or dictatorship -but that doesn't mean trump will be convicted because of the moral cowardice of the GOP - a black capital policeman who tried to restrain the mob and was viciously attacked, broke down and asked, "Is this America?" That is the question we all have to answer.
#impeachment

01/29/2021

BLOWBACK - the film that inspired QAnon, a myriad of false flag conspiracies, and the Trump P*e Tapes - suppressed for 30 years by the deep state!

#blowback #cia #35mm #qanonisacult #peetapes

01/27/2021

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.” - Elie Wiesel

Remembering those whose lives were lost and forever changed, we will never forget!

#holocaustremembranceday
#shoah #weremember

01/20/2021

DEMOCRACY HAS PREVAILED

#bidenharris2020 #inauguration #hope #2021

01/20/2021

POWER TO THE POETS

#amandagorman #inauguration #bidenharris2020 #blackexcellence #hope

01/12/2021

RIP MICHAEL APTED. Michael Apted was a multi-talented filmmaker who also led the DGA through the beginning of the digital revolution. Thank you Michael for your leadership and all your inspiring work, especially the "7UP" series, which is the greatest documentary series of all time. Your work lives on.

01/07/2021

A tale of 2 Americas - BLACK JOY BEATS WHITE HATE. Trump literally subverts and defaces democracy and needs to be removed immediately! But a Black man and a Jew from Georgia keep hope alive...
#dc #hope

12/03/2020

Congratulations and welcome Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Austin rivers to the New York Knicks! We first met these basketball stars on our film "Prayer For A Perfect Season," where they went head to head as High School rivals. Let's GO #knicks 2021‼️

11/08/2020

4 years later, finally, Victory!
Biden Beats Trump!
America keeps hope alive!
Celebrate!

#bidenharris2020

11/03/2020

Join the fight for America’s soul. Vote Biden/Harris!

#vote #vote2020

11/02/2020

VOTE NOW - your voice matters, let it be heard!

#vote #vote2020

10/31/2020

Farewell James - you will be missed

@james_wallace_092219

10/27/2020

Trump: What's The Deal? Full Documentary (1991)

TRUMP: WHAT'S THE DEAL? is now free (with ads) on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYU2FJxsSeE

This documentary from 20 years ago is as relevant as ever.
Trump didn't want anyone to see it then and got it spiked.
But its come back to haunt him for this Halloween before the election. Trick or Treat - Dump Trump!

T minus 7 and counting.

Donald Trump is one of the richest and most famous men in America, but on what foundation has his success been built? From accusations of harassment to repea...

10/06/2020

Congratulations to Dan Levin on making this year’s DOC NYC 40 UNDER 40 List!
Daniel B Levin is a Director, Producer, and Cinematographer whose latest work includes the I PROMISE series on Quibi and the upcoming Showtime Networks documentary on NBA superstar Kevin Garnett! So proud of the talent in the Blowback family💯 Be sure to check the amazing work from all of this year’s filmmakers - https://www.docnyc.net/news/doc-nyc-announces-3rd-annual-40-under-40-list/

10/02/2020

New Jersey's Crossroads Theatre Company will be opening its 2020-21 season with Anna Deavere Smith's docu-drama "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992," directed by Marc Levin. Check it out while it's available for streaming October 6 thru 27th!
www.nj.com/entertainment/2020/10/crossroads-theatre-company-constructs-mostly-virtual-2020-21-season.html

09/19/2020

1 Woman Can Change the World - Brooklyn’s Best - Rest in Paradise

09/18/2020

THE FBI AGENT WHO TRIGGERED 2016 OCTOBER SURPRISE

Check out our friend JOHN ROBERTSON, from our series INSIDE THE FBI: NEW YORK.It was just revealed that he is the FBI agent who triggered the 2016 OCTOBER SURPRISE. Today's Washington Post article outlines how John, the FBI S*x Crimes agent investigating Anthony Weiner, reacted when he discovered all the Hillary Clinton emails on Weiner's computer.
ARTICLE HERE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/october-surprise-clinton-emails-fbi-/2020/09/17/518ef8a2-f2dc-11ea-b796-2dd09962649c_story.html

09/15/2020

‎Badass Jews on Apple Podcasts

Marc Levin kicks off comedian Aaron Berg’s podcast BADASS JEWS in Episode 1, “Troublemaking Filmmaker” streaming now on all platforms! Thank you to Aaron Berg for the fascinating and hilarious interview detailing Marc’s journey from “ultimate outsider to award-winning director for HBO, LeBron James" and OGs of all types.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/badass-jews/id1531242070

‎Comedy Interviews · 2020

09/05/2020

@hbo documentary Stockton On My Mind tells the story of Mayor Michael Tubbs, who at 26 became the youngest mayor and first African American Mayor in Stockton, CA.

Register now for a free virtual screening + post-film discussion with @michaeldtubbs, filmmaker Marc Levin @blowbackproductions and @gather4justice Senior Organizer @teamcadence, as they share efforts to “upset the set-up” of state violence, incarceration and poverty in #Stockton. Tuesday, 9/8 at 7p ET / 4p PT

#StocktonOnMyMind #RevolutionaryReelz #UpsetTheSetUp #stocktonca #PoliceFreeSchools #DecertifyThePolice #DefundThePolice

09/03/2020

Interview: Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson, on Thirty Years of Making Films about Crime, Incarceration and America’s Social Ills – Part 1

For Thirty years, Blowback Productions' founders Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson have focused their filmmaking careers on social injustice, mass incarceration, and America's systematic failures. Recently they sat down for an interview with Crime Story's Kary Antholis to discuss their films and Blowback's most recent release, Stockton On My Mind, which is currently available to stream on HBO. Click here and enjoy! https://crimestory.com/2020/09/03/interview-marc-levin-and-daphne-pinkerson-on-thirty-years-of-making-films-about-crime-incarceration-and-americas-social-ills-part-1/

On today’s podcast, we present part one of a two-part interview with filmmakers Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson, who — over the last three decades — have made some of the most in depth and insightful documentaries about the overlapping American crises of crime, incarceration, societal disrupti...

08/21/2020

Chasing The Thunder

Tomorrow streaming free online at 7:00 PM don't miss OCEAN WARRIORS: CHASING THE THUNDER directed by Mark Benjamin & Marc Levin. The ward-winning eco-thriler documentary follows two marine conservation captains on a hundred-day chase across the world's oceans to catch the "kingpin" pirate fishing vessel: The Thunder. Link to tickets here! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chasing-the-thunder-tickets-113691909562

The San Francisco & Marin County Surfrider Foundations present "CHASING THE THUNDER”