Blowback Productions

06/09/2019

Director Marc Levin along with Producer Mary-Jane Mitchell and DP Alan Deutch, playing chess with Nicky Barnes during production of the 2007 documentary
MR UNTOUCHABLE.

"I always wondered what Nicky would have thought of our Gangsta Prez. Would he be a fan like Whitey Bolger seems to have been. Or a critic who saw through the bluster and
buffoonery of the faux Don. Hard to believe that the criminal values that helped Barnes become the king of heroin and Harlem, now seem to be the prevalent philosophy of our present President. Makes you wonder who is the real American Gangster. RIP NICKY." –Marc Levin

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/08/nyregion/nicky-barnes-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

05/14/2019

BRICK CITY-VULCAN-DISCOVERY:
100-city International Ocean Film Tour with another 30 cities in the United States screening "CHASING THE THUNDER" - showing the 45 min edited short version for the ocean tour program - featuring the SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY

https://us.oceanfilmtour.com/movies

U.S. Cities: https://us.oceanfilmtour.com/tickets

Directors: Mark Benjamin / Marc Levin
Producers: Katie Carpenter / Sam Sielen
Edited by: Daniel Coda
Executive Producers: Paul G. Allen, Carole Tomko, Rocky Collins, Mark Benjamin, Marc Levin
brickcitytv.com

05/01/2019

Captain Peter Hammarstedt and a crew of over 25 were prepared to spend two years at sea to take down the illegal fishing vessel, The Thunder. After 110 days of a thrilling chase, they brought The Thunder to justice. Here, Captain Hammarstedt speaks at last night’s screening of the BRICK CITY - VULCAN - DISCOVERY eco-thriller #ChasingTheThunder, alongside Directors Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin, and Producer Katie Carpenter. ⛴
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#seashepard #savetheoceans #wildlife #conservation #crime #justice #captain #documentary #naturedocumentay #filmmaker #director #producer #ifccenter #fishing #vegan #animals #ocean #purenonfiction #screening

04/29/2019

Film Review: Chasing the Thunder (2018)

"This documentary deserves its own genre – the eco-thriller. It is essentially an extended, remarkably terrifying and inspiring chase filmed on the high seas, which feels like fiction." -Museé Magazine on "Chasing The Thunder"

Brick City TV Mark Benjamin

http://museemagazine.com/culture/2019/4/26/film-review-chasing-the-thunder-2018?fbclid=IwAR14HdtmISy1Zcd1LqeNxn-Et1qgpgr0SpFqL_fuvUtMLE-fpDs9GCxCUec

Chasing the Thunder (2018) Directors Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin

04/26/2019

Halim A. Flowers was featured in our Emmy-winning documentary, “Thug Life in D.C.” (1998). He was released this year after being incarcerated and serving 22 years behind bars. This is him today at our office, and being filmed by Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin in 1998. After transcending the confines of prison, Halim impacts lives through his writings and motivational speaking.
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📷: @danlivin #photography @televisionacad #emmyawards #thuglife #documentary #filmmaker #director #producer #prison #unchained #unchainedmediacollective #justice #socialjustice #motivation #motivational #motivationalspeaker @ Starrett-Lehigh

04/26/2019

BRICK CITY - VULCAN - DISCOVERY - There are only a few tickets left for the April 30 screening at IFC Center

Tickets: http://www.ifccenter.com/films/chasing-the-thunder/

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guje_qFj0Js

"CHASING THE THUNDER” - 96 min feature documentary. With compelling high seas blue water action, this eco thriller is an anti-poaching documentary with the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd vessels CHASING THE THUNDER, the notorious pirate poacher, to the bottom of the sea.

This film is not streaming anywhere and the only way to see it is at a festival or special screening.

THUNDER played at the WTO in Geneva, at INTERPOL in Lyon, at WWF HQ in DC, at the last IUU global meeting in Bangkok. A UN finalist for World Wildlife Day. It now is on the International Ocean Tour to 140 cities.

Brick City TV Mark Benjamin

04/17/2019

The Television Academy announced the recipients of its 12th Television Academy Honors, recognizing exceptional programs that have harnessed the power of television to inspire social change.✨’I Am Evidence’ is among the seven programs chosen, “representing some of the most powerful and impactful television of 2018.” 💪 Have you seen it yet?
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#HBO #documentary #iamevidence #mariskahargitay #metoo #believesurvivors #survivor #director #producer #film #documentaryfilm #socialchange #academyawards #television #televisionacademy #emmys

04/05/2019

It’s #FeatureFriday! 🎬 Pictured here: Dr. Robert Sapolsky and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, all smiles as they discuss #empathy as a solution to #stress. 🙏 Watch in #OneNationUnderStress, now streaming on @HBO platforms. 📺
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#sanjaygupta #robertsapolsky #documentary #film #documentaryfilm #health #healthy #lifestyle #healthyliving #holistichealth #doctor #kindness #director #producer

03/27/2019

"With its mix of scientific rigor and powerful, flesh-and-blood storytelling, it’s one of those rare shows with the potential to change your life." - Arianna Huffington

Have you seen it yet? Now available on HBO #OneNationUnderStress

03/27/2019

Our crew looking stress-free on location for #OneNationUnderStress, now streaming on @HBO. 🎬 From left to right: Jackson Devereux, Anthony Pedone, Marc Levin, Sanjay Gupta, Dan Levin.
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#stress #health #healthy #healthylifestyle #crew #production #filmcrew #filmmaker #director #producer #documentary #documentaryfilm

03/25/2019

Tonight! 👀🎬 An increasingly stressed America is leading to a decline in U.S. life expectancy for the first time in more than a century. @drsanjaygupta sets out to see why in #OneNationUnderStress, premiering on @HBO at 9pm. 🕵️‍♂️🔎
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#documentary #documentaryfilm #health #healthy #lifestyle #healthylifestyle #doctor #sanjaygupta #stress #producer #director #filmmaker #hbo @ Home Box Office (HBO)

03/18/2019

’Can a society get so stressed out that it actually starts to break?’ Find out next week! One Nation Under Stress premieres on HBO March 25th, 2019. 👀🔜

03/15/2019

One Nation Under Stress

We are proud to announce that One Nation Under Stress will premiere on HBO March 25, 2019! Watch the trailer below. Will you be tuning in?

Credits: HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS Presents a BLOWBACK PRODUCTION with SANJAY GUPTA, MD ONE NATION UNDER STRESS Original Music by GIANCARLO VULCANO Director of Photography DANIEL B. LEVIN Edited by ASHWIN S. GANDBHIR Associate Producer JILLIAN A. GOLDSTEIN Co-producers JACKSON DEVEREUX ASHWIN S. GANDBHIR ANTHONY PEDONE KARA ROZANSKY Field Producer JULIAN ROUTH Executive Producer SANJAY GUPTA, MD For HBO Executive Producers NANCY ABRAHAM LISA HELLER Produced by DAPHNE PINKERSON MARC LEVIN Directed by MARC LEVIN

03/05/2019

Living in the year 3019 🤖 What do YOUR business meetings look like? 🖖
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#future #business #documentary #filmmaker #director #producer #blowbackproductions #starrettlehigh #chelsea #diner #virtualreality #VR #documentaryfilm #newyorkcity #nyc #nycfilmmaker #production #filmproduction

03/04/2019

Spotted 👀 Marc Levin and Captain Paul Watson at the UN on Friday! 🌎 @brickcitytv and @vulcanproduction’s ‘Chasing the Thunder’ was a World Wildlife Day Ocean Showcase finalist. 🌊 Have you seen it yet?
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#worldwildlifeday #wwd #wwd2019 #unitednations #documentaryfilm #savetheoceans #illegalfishing #chasingthethunder #seashepherd #captain #captainpaulwatson #filmmaker #naturedocumentary

02/11/2019

Brick City TV are ‘Ocean Heroes’ finalists in the World Wildlife Day: Living Oceans Showcase! 🌊 ‘Chasing the Thunder,’ directed by Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin, follows the high seas chase of the world’s most notorious fishing vessel, The Thunder. ⛴
We are proud to have helped put a spotlight on this story and encourage you to #DoOneThingToday to help reduce the threat to #MarineSpecies. 🐠
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#director #documentary #naturedocumentary #wwd #worldwildlifeday #chasingthethunder #environment #savetheplanet #recycle #oceancleanup #vegan #un #undp #jacksonhole #wildlifefilmfestival #wildlife #conservation #summit #motivationmonday #inspiration #unitednations #wwd2019 #lifebelowwater

02/08/2019

Save the date for our next film! ‘One Nation Under Stress’ follows Sanjay Gupta as he tries to uncover the root causes of why American life expectancy is falling and is now shorter than all other major developed countries. Click here for tickets, http://www.ifccenter.com/films/one-nation-under-stress/

Directed by: Marc Levin
Produced by: Daphne Pinkerson
Executive Produced by: Sanjay Gupta, MD
Nancy Abraham (HBO)
Lisa Heller (HBO)
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#documentary #documentaryfilm #ifccenter #ifc #stress #health

01/28/2019

MEET THE TEAM Monday! 🤩These are some of the wonderful, talented, and hard-working faces behind our films. Wishing you a week as awesome as they are! 💪🎬
From left to right:
Elizabeth Sehring, Marc Levin, Jackson Devereux, Daphne Pinkerson, Dan Levin, Jillian Goldstein, Giancarlo Baldino, Ashwin Ghandbir.
[Not pictured: our production associate Danielle Weiner. #rookie 😝]
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#film #filmproduction #nycfilm #documentary #nycdocumentary #filmmaker #production #productionteam #newyorkcity #nyc #filmmakers #director #producer #monday #mondaymotivation #mondaymood #mondaymorning #starrettlehigh #chelsea

01/24/2019

You know what time it is... time for a Blowback Throwback! 🎞 can you guess who Marc Levin is pictured with? Tap the photo to find out! 👆
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#BlowbackThrowback #throwbackthursday #tbt #film #director #documentary #robertdowneyjr #filmmaker #nyc #documentaryfilm #oldphotos #blackandwhitephotography #filmphotography

01/22/2019

Congratulations to the 2019 #OscarNoms for Best Documentary Feature! 🎬 We are proud to see #documentaryfilm succeed and are honored to have been among these #nominees at the recent #cinemaeyehonors . Have you watched these films yet? 👀 Let us know in the comments! | #FreeSoloFilm #HaleCountyThisMorningThisevening #MindingTheGap #OfFathersAndSons #RBG
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#academyawards #oscarnominee #oscars #oscars2019 #documentary #film #filmmaker #filmproduction #blowbackproductions #productioncompany #filmproduction #filmdirector #theacademy

01/21/2019

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” | Humbled by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., inspired by those who fight for what is right, and grateful to our @blowbackproductions team for pursuing stories that matter. #martinlutherkingjr #mlk #equality #justice #documentary #speakup

01/14/2019

Our Baltimore Rising team all smiles after winning the Cinema Eye Honors award.🏆From left to right: Marc Levin, Sonja Sohn, Daphne Pinkerson, and Mahrya MacIntire.
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Unofficial white carpet 📷 by production associate @dweinzz.
#BaltimoreRising #sonjasohn #hbo #documentary #film #award

01/13/2019

Congratulations Sonja Sohn, WINNER of the 2019 Cinema Eye Honors Award for Best Feature Film for Broadcast! 🏆⭐️ We couldn’t be more proud to have produced #BaltimoreRising in partnership with HBO.

01/07/2019

Here’s to new insights, perspectives, and windows into powerful stories in 2019! 👀🎬
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📷: @jack.sunflower
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#blowbackproductions #documentary #documentaryfilm #filmproduction #newyorkcity #manhattan #2019 #newyear #filmmaker #marclevin

12/21/2018

Oceanic Global

The next screening in our "Films for Thought" film series with 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge will be on Tuesday, January 15th at 7PM. We will be screening the Paul G. Allen Executive Produced, Vulcan Productions, Discovery and Brick City TV feature documentary: “CHASING THE THUNDER” following Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ocean campaign in the Southern Ocean. Directors, Mark Benjamin & Marc Levin, as well as the Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society himself, Captain Paul Watson, will be joining us as guest speakers to lead the post-screening Q&A! Join us for what is sure to be an enlightening and lively discussion.

Please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/films-for-thought-chasing-the-thunder-with-captain-paul-watson-tickets-53847338840

12/10/2018

Marc Levin was honored to present @thesheilanevins with the Lumiere Career Achievement Award at this year’s @hamptonsdocfest. 🏆👏#SheilaNevins brought the genre of #documentary into millions of homes through @hbo. 📺
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#AllDocsAllYear #hamptonsdocfest #womeninfilm #bosslady #hbo #award #film #filmfestival #marclevin #blowbackproductions #documentaryfilm #producer #filmproducer #sagharbor #hamptons

12/04/2018

@therealmariskahargitay continues to advocate for #justice. Her #documentary, "I Am Evidence," for which Marc Levin of #blowbackproductions is an executive #producer, addresses the backlog of untested rape kits in police storage facilities across the country. Watch the powerful #film on @hbo.
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#endthebacklog #takeaction #takeactiontuesday #believesurvivors #iamevidence #lawandordersvu #mariskahargitay #hbo #cnn #news

11/29/2018

It's a Blowback Throwback! Director Marc Levin and producer Al Levin rethink the judicial process during filming of 'Inside the Jury Room.' What does justice look like to you? Tell us in the comments! ⚖️ #blowbackthrowback #blowbackproductions #frontline #pbs #documentary #film #tbt #justice #jury #juryduty #court

11/19/2018

Marc Levin of #blowbackproductions and @shaq having some #filmmaker fun at the presentation of @killerbeesmovie! A story of #hope and hardship produced in part by #shaquilleoneal and #larrygagosian, we'd call it a #mustsee! 👀🏀 #killerbeesmovie #documentary #motivationmonday

11/14/2018

'I Am Evidence' and 'Baltimore Rising' are both up for the title of Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Film for Broadcast at this year's @cinemaeyehonors 🏆 Marc Levin, of #blowbackproductions, is the executive producer of these two impactful films. Watch on @hbo 🍿and tell us what you think! #cinemaeyehonors #documentaryfilm #socialjustice #believesurvivors #iamevidence #blacklivesmatter #baltimorerising

11/09/2018

Chasing the Thunder, a high-seas documentary directed by Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin, won the 'Explorers and Adventurers' prize at Washington's @fridayharborfilm festival.🏅The documentary follows the dramatic 110-day chase of the notorious illegal fishing vessel, the Thunder. #fridayharborfilmfest #chasingthethunder #explorers #adventurers #documentary #seashepherd #oceanwarriors #conservation

11/06/2018

The future of our country is determined by those who make their voices heard. Have you voted yet?

#vote #midterms2018 #democracy #youmatter

10/08/2018

After the disgraceful Kavanaugh hearings and pathetic Senate vote to confirm him, the time is now to once again rally the troops for the battle to Save American Democracy. This classic documentary about the Antiwar Movement of the 1960s/70, is a reminder of the power of the people to fight back and win.

tickets available here: http://metrograph.com/film/film/1806/the-war-at-home

04/30/2018

RIP our brother ROBIN 'BINKY' BROWN - Newark, NJ
In his youth BINKY was a star athlete. As a man he was the most loving and brightest star. He was one of the kindest, sweetest, most genuine and compassionate souls on earth. We will remember him as the “People’s Mayor of Brick City.” We will miss our amazing documentary producer BINKY. Rest In Peace and Love forever. Marc Levin & Mark Benjamin and BRICK CITY TV and BLOWBACK PRODUCTIONS.

04/16/2018

I Am Evidence - Synopsis

Premiering tonight on HBO! I Am Evidence exposes the shocking number of untested rape kits in the United States today, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Despite the power of DNA to solve and prevent crimes, these kits containing potentially crucial evidence languish untested in police evidence storage rooms. Along with Mariska Hargitay, Blowback's Marc Levin is proud to have Executive Produced this not to be missed film.

Read more at HBO.com.

04/13/2018

Click here to support Help Kevin Burno Come Home organized by Ke Burn

In 1999, we won a national Emmy for HBO's Thug Life in DC. In it, we see 9-year-old Kevin Burno. At the time, 85% of young black men in DC were behind bars, including Kevin's brother. Actively trying to make better choices, he committed himself to his studies and career aspirations. As a teenager, he spent his summers in New York interning with us, developing his passion for filmmaking and social justice. Tragically, he was wrongfully incarcerated in 2015. He now has the opportunity to re-present his case and is humbly asking for donations to his legal fund.

My name is Kevin Burno. I'm a 29 year old African American man. I was born and raised in the Washington DC area. I am currently being wrongfully incarcerated, charged with a crime I did not commit. I intend to share with you, the public, a part of my story from my political, familial, social and...