Sarah Colt Productions

05/23/2020

Festival Awards

As the Mountainfilm's 2020 virtual festival is coming to a close, don't forget to cast your vote for Audience Choice Award before 12pm MT on Sunday, May 24th! You can watch TheDisrupted before the festival ends on May 25th.

Mountainfilm's awards are unlike those at most other festivals. Our Moving Mountains Prize goes to a nonprofit featured in a film. The Student Choice Award is selected by students who take part in our festival program Mountainfilm for Students. Another big prize, the Norman Vaughan Award, goes to a....

05/20/2020

Two Projects Are Filming Again. Here’s How They’re Doing It.

From color-coded armbands to group isolation...by applying creative safety measures, two filmmakers have found their way back into production during the pandemic.

In Iceland, a Netflix series relied on testing and color-coded armbands. In Australia, the entire cast and crew of a Stephen King adaptation quarantined together.

05/18/2020

This Part-Time Consultant And Uber Driver Navigated Through Filing For Unemployment

“The system wasn’t made for people like us." Despite filing quarterly income statements to Uber, Uber doesn't report worker income to the government, making drivers' contend with a confusing and stressful unemployment process.

We’re featuring the stories of people affected economically by COVID-19.

05/18/2020

Opinion | The Hunger Pains of a Pandemic

Overwhelmed food banks across the U.S. reveal the heartbreaking realities of food insecurity in America. Today, more than 1 in 5 households are "food insecure," meaning the food brought in didn't last and there is simply not enough money to get more.

Empty stomachs can lead to a dangerous desperation.

05/15/2020

2020 Mountainfilm Intro | 2020 Mountainfilm Festival

Here's your chance to stream the N. American premiere of TheDisrupted at Mountainfilm! Open access from the comfort of your own home starting today through May 25th. For tickets, go to --> bit.ly/3fRqgc7 // #TheDisrupted #FilmPremiere

by Raven Hopgood

05/15/2020

The Workers Lab

"Not everyone is equal in times of emergency"

"Not everyone is equal in times of emergency." https://hubs.ly/H0qp99b0 #coronavirus

05/14/2020

Happy Birthday to our fearless leader Sarah Colt! Wishing you a wonderful day and more in-person celebrations ahead!

05/11/2020

TheDisrupted

"What is different about this film (TheDisrupted) is that it squarely takes aim at the beleaguered #middleclass – whose lives have increasingly been pushed to the margins since the recession of 2008-2009." #FilmReview by Modern Times Review

"What is different about this film (TheDisrupted) is that it squarely takes aim at the beleaguered #middleclass – whose lives have increasingly been pushed to the margins since the recession of 2008-2009." #FilmReview by Modern Times Review // bit.ly/3ci6fsV

05/04/2020

60 Minutes

Long before the pandemic hit, small farms across the country have been struggling to survive. TheDisrupted explores the hardship small farms have endured as a result of corporate consolidation, trade wars, and falling commodity prices.

To offset the adverse impacts of the U.S.-China trade war on American farmers, President Trump provided billions of dollars in aid to farmers. But so far, most of the money has gone to the biggest farms — one third of it to just 4%. https://cbsn.ws/3b0nBsI

05/01/2020

TheDisrupted

Don’t miss the North American premiere!

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Though we can't be together, for the first time Mountainfilm is available to a global audience! #TheDisrupted— a story of resilience & struggle that exposes the cracks in the American dream— will make its N. American premiere May 15–25.

The 2020 festival is going virtual and with the all-access Bivvy pass, you can join in right from your living room! For film details -> bit.ly/mountainfilm2020 #mountainfilm2020 #mountainfilmathome

05/01/2020

The Disrupted

TheDisrupted will make its North American premiere with Mountainfilm's 2020 virtual film festival, May 15th-25th! Festival passes are now available for purchase. Once the festival kicks-off, you can purchase $10 individual tickets. Stick around after the film for a virtual Q&A with Sarah Colt, Josh Gleason, and our three subjects!

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak fundamentally changed the global financial landscape, when the U.S. economy was robust, there were economic casualties. People fell through the cracks, didn’t land in safety nets or lived in constant insecurity. The Disrupted is about three of these people: a mult...

04/30/2020

TheDisrupted

TheDisrupted

"She said one person originally put a $32.94 tip on a 27-item order from Sam's Club, only to replace it with a $0 tip after delivery. Another person changed a $13.31 tip on a 38-item order from a different store to nothing after delivery." #TheDisrupted via CNN

04/27/2020

Opinion | Martin Luther King Jr. Predicted This Moment

More than 50 years later and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s call for the dignity and economic justice for all workers carries the same significance today:

“One day,” Dr. King told sanitation workers on strike in Memphis in 1968, “our society will come to respect the sanitation worker if it is to survive, for the person who picks up our garbage, in the final analysis, is as significant as the physician, for if he doesn’t do his job, diseases are rampant. All labor has dignity.”

The coronavirus shows us clearer than ever before that “all labor has dignity.”

04/24/2020

THE DISRUPTED (The Disrupted)

We are honored to have our film, TheDisrupted chosen to be in the international competition category at DOK.fest München ! The virtual film festival is available to anyone living in Germany. Stay tuned for details on how to watch the film in the US this May. #thedisrupted

American Dream und Existenzangst: Über die verschwindende Mittelschicht der USA.

04/20/2020

How the Coronavirus Could Create a New Working Class

Will the "new normal" post-pandemic include a new working class? The Atlantic cites a study that found wages increased over three decades in the aftermath of 15 major pandemics.

Experts predict the outbreak will lead to a rise in populism. But will workers turn their rage toward corporate CEOs, or middle-class “elites”?

04/17/2020

TheDisrupted

We're excited to share our trailer and the faces of TheDisrupted-- Cheryl, Donn, and Pete. The film dives deep inside the lives of three Americans working harder than ever, as their place in the middle class slips away. For a farmer, a factory worker, and an Uber driver, rising income inequality betrays the American Dream. #thedisrupted

TheDisrupted dives deep inside the lives of three Americans working harder than ever, as their place in the middle class slips away. For a farmer, a factory worker, and an Uber driver, rising income inequality betrays the American Dream. 🎥 via Sarah Colt Productions

#thedisrupted #sarahcoltproductions #documentary #feature #film #inequality #incomeinequality #socialmobility #classconsciousness #america #middleclass #americandream #wealthgap

04/14/2020

Who Delivers Food in the Pandemic? Gig Workers from Instacart to Uber Demand Safety & Hazard Pay

Essential or Expendable? Many gig workers who are making food deliveries during the pandemic are questioning their value to companies who won't provide basic safety essentials. Hear from a member of the #gigworkerscollective.

https://www.democracynow.org/2020/4/14/who_delivers_food_in_the_pandemic

As demand for groceries soars from millions of Americans staying home, we speak with a member of the Gig Workers Collective who organized an Instacart strike to demand appropriate safety measures and hazard pay.

04/10/2020

A disease defeated, women resisting, Manitoba remembered, children rescued - The Boston Globe

As we grapple with a global pandemic, it’s crucial to remember past advancements made in global health. As highlighted by The Boston Globe, Sarah Colt's "The Polio Crusade" tells the story of how the country and scientific community mobilized to develop a life-saving polio vaccine.

In case you missed the rebroadcast, you can stream "The Polio Crusade" on PBS.org

A look at documentaries about the eradication of polio, female partisans in Italy during World War II, growing up in Winnipeg, and saving children in Ghana.

03/30/2020

Watch the rebroadcast of "The Polio Crusade," directed by Sarah Colt, tomorrow, March 31 at 8PM CT on @PBS to learn about another time when America was threatened by a deadly virus and banded together to develop a vaccine. https://buff.ly/2UujgYA

03/26/2020

Annapolis Film Festival - FILM FESTIVAL FLIX

While you're at home and social distancing, Sarah Colt Productions would love for you to tune into The Annapolis Film Festival where our short film "True Believer" is screening in the "Rebel With A Cause" program. An incredible line up of films has been made virtual and should not to be missed! Click the link to buy tickets and start screening as early as Friday! #truebelieverdoc

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03/20/2020

After three years in the making, we finally get to share our feature documentary with you. “The Disrupted” dives deep inside the lives of three Americans working harder than ever, as their place in the middle class slips away. For a farmer, a factory worker, and an Uber driver, rising income inequality betrays the American Dream. Follow TheDisrupted to stay up to date!

#TheDisrupted unfolds as an emotionally rich observational drama about the American Middle Class, revealing a collective experience of financial challenge, family resilience, and the quest for purpose.

#sarahcoltproductions #documentary #feature #film #inequality #incomeinequality #socialmobility #classconsciousness #america #middleclass #americandream #wealthgap #premieringsoon

03/03/2020

Documentary Shorts: Rebel With A Cause

Tickets are on sale for the Annapolis Film Festival! Our #truebelieverdoc will be playing in the "Rebel With A Cause" short program on Sat March 28th and Sun March 29th.

While you're at it, show our DP Tom Bergmann some love by checking out the film he shot, RINGSIDE, playing Sat March 28th!

Crossing barriers and defying stereotypes are the requisites for these unlikely activists who strive to align their beliefs with their actions. Even when risking life, limb or reputation, they remain defiant

02/27/2020

Thrilled to be headed to the Annapolis Film Festival with our documentary short True Believer! The festival schedule will be announced soon…until then, mark your calendars for March 3rd to order tickets in advance. #truebelieverdoc

02/20/2020

This Progressive Republican Wants Your Vote

We are excited to see Robb Ryerse's book, "Running for Our Lives: A Story of Faith, Politics, and the Common Good," gaining attention! Watch "True Believer" to learn more about Robb's journey as an outsider candidate running for Congress in Arkansas.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ordinary-citizens-working-common-good-170000137.html

“I’m running as a Republican because I am a Republican,” says Robb Ryerse in the short documentary True Believer. Confusion, though, is understandable—Ryerse...

02/06/2020

S30 E3: The Gilded Age | American Experience

It has been 2 years since the release of "The Gilded Age," a film that explores a time in late 19th century America where economic disparity between the poor and the wealthy was growing rapidly. Have times changed? Find out for yourself by watching here.

Meet the titans and barons of the glittering late 19th century, whose materialistic extravagance contrasted harshly with the poverty of the struggling workers who challenged them. The vast disparities between them sparked debates still raging today.

02/03/2020

2020 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Congrats to all the filmmakers at Sundance this year! 2020 started incredibly strong with lots of inspiring documentaries. #docfilmmakers

Top Prizes Go To Minari, Boys State, Epicentro, and Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness Minari, Crip Camp, The Reason I Jump, and Identifying Features (Sin Señas Particulares) Win Audience Awards

01/30/2020

Uber, Lyft, Postmates Refuse To Comply With California Gig Economy Law

We've been following the AB5 bill and how it will affect the future rights for gig workers. Check out this @NPR article that shows both sides of the debate.

The new law, which went into effect Wednesday, affects Uber and Lyft drivers as well as journalism freelancers and others. Companies are trying to figure out how to comply or how work around the law.

01/28/2020

'It crushes me': Dairy farmers struggle to survive Trump's trade wars and declining milk demand

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. has lost nearly 20,000 licensed dairy farms, a roughly 30% decline, over the past decade. The margin between the cost of production and selling price has not been enough to make a living, especially when dairy farms consolidate into larger operations that end up dominating the industry.

New York dairy farmer Nathan Chittenden has watched his farming neighbors disappear one by one, including five farms on his father's side of the family over the course of 20 years.

01/08/2020

Happy Birthday, to Robb Ryerse! In 2018, we filmed Robb's birthday party/ fundraising event. He had to raise $15,000 just to get on the ballot in Arkansas. The link to our short film "True Believer" is in our bio. Happy Birthday, Robb!

Happy Birthday to Robb Ryerse! In 2018, we filmed Robb's birthday party/fundraising event. He had to raise $15,000 just to get on the ballot in Arkansas. The link to our short film "True Believer" is in our bio.

01/07/2020

Sarah Colt earned one of her earliest producer credits with the PBS release of "Kofi Annan: Center of the Storm," a behind-the-scenes look at the role of the Secretary General of the United Nations. #OnThisDay

12/19/2019

Happy holidays from the @sarahcoltprod team! It’s hard to believe 2019 is coming to an end, but we have exciting things to come in the new year that we’ll be sharing soon. Stay tuned!

12/13/2019

We are thrilled to have Troy Herion compose the score for our upcoming feature documentary, "The Disrupted." His latest work, #TheHottestAugust, was named one of the 10 Best Documentaries of 2019 by Rolling Stone.

11/26/2019

Uber Fined $649 Million for Saying Drivers Aren’t Employees

The NJ Senate took up legislation that could restrict when some businesses are permitted to classify workers as independent contractors. As employees, they would be entitled to basic protections and benefits, such as overtime pay, health care, and unemployment insurance.

Uber responded with, “We are challenging this preliminary but incorrect determination, because drivers are independent contractors in New Jersey and elsewhere.”

The move by New Jersey could reverberate across the gig economy.

11/25/2019

One more year on the farm: A photographic narrative of a family’s fight to save their land

Extreme weather, trade wars, crushing debt...The Krocaks' struggle to keep their farmland speaks to the hardship felt by farming families & communities across the nation.

The Post is chronicling the Krocak family through spring, summer, autumn and winter

11/13/2019

Dean Foods files for bankruptcy as oat milk and other alternatives gain popularity

Dean Foods files for bankruptcy as oat milk and other alternatives gain popularity

Dean Foods is under pressure from its high levels of debt, pensions -- and changing tastes.