Side X Side Studios

10/24/2024

FINDING US was awarded a grant from the Georgetown University Reconciliation Fund! This grant funds community-based projects that impact descendants of enslaved people with ties to Jesuit plantations. With this support, FINDING US will be screened at three parishes in Louisiana to connect the Descendant community, and share their stories with a wider audience.

As FINDING US producer, and president and co-founder of the Descendants of Jesuit Enslavement Historical and Genealogical Society, Karran Harper Royal, said, “The grant allows us to continue the work of the ancestors as they sought to find their family members who were sold during slavery, with resources to expand the pool of descendants and knowledge about the history of Jesuit enslavement.”

Stay tuned for more details on the screening series!

Read the full grant announcement from Georgetown University here: https://www.georgetown.edu/news/georgetown-2024-reconciliation-fund-supports-descendant-communities/

Watch FINDING US on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/finding-us-6ohkwi/

10/11/2024

Friedrich Moser's documentary, HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE, which is executive produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, and produced in association with SIE Films, The Front Corner, SideXSide Studios and Rebel Entertainment, begins its international rollout.

HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE will make its European premiere in Vienna on October 13, followed by its UK debut at the Leeds International Film Festival on November 4, on the eve of the U.S. elections.

Read the full article and watch the trailer on Deadline!

Executive produced by George Clooney, Friedrich Moser’s doc investigates the mechanics of disinformation and its impact on the human mind and society

06/28/2024

An inspiring story in honor of Pride month from SideXSide’s Senior Producer Deanna Del Ciello about filming HIAS's “To Start Another Life, Free”:

As a q***r person, it’s easy to feel othered by society, even in the most accepting of places. And in the worst of places, there is a real, physical danger for being q***r. When I met Ilia in New York City, he had recently fled Russia and sought asylum in the United States after a gang of men brutally attacked him in his own home for being gay. He came to the United States to start a new life for himself, a life that was not possible in his home country.

I was early in my coming out days when we filmed with Ilia and his boyfriend. Some people in my life knew I was a le***an, but most did not. Spending two and a half days with Ilia and Craig was one of the first times I saw q***r joy up close. I was still very nervous about all the changes that coming out would bring to my life. Seeing the way Ilia and Craig shared their love with our team while filming left me with such a feeling of comfort. Not long after we left NYC, Ilia messaged me that it was the same for him, saying “Thank you so much. I feel like I've done something very important for myself and to learn how to be free.”

Filmmaking, for me, is a genuine exchange of vulnerability. Being able to tell Ilia’s story for Pride was an honor, and taught me that being able to be visibly and publicly out is a privilege, a celebration, and always, a protest. My daily existence is a practice of gratitude for my q***r elders, for what they achieved before me, and a paving of the way forward, for all those who come after me.

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Watch more of Ilia’s story in HIAS’s “To Start Another Life, Free”: https://sidexsidestudios.com/project/hias-to-start-a-new-life-free/

06/20/2024

In honor of , a beautiful story from SideXSide’s Creative Director Kathryn Carlson.

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Every year on June 20th, World Refugee Day reminds me of the unyielding courage of refugees and the vibrant tapestry they weave into our communities. Throughout my years at SideXSide Studios, and even before at National Geographic, I've had the profound privilege of working alongside refugees. One thing I have been struck by time and time again is the bottomless well of generosity that resides within them, regardless of the community or circumstance.

When I was five months pregnant and experiencing “morning” sickness all day long, I was in Ecuador directing a piece on the refugee shelter that Ximena runs for . It was our last day, and we were capturing a job fair - a chance for refugees to showcase their crafts and build a new life.

I had darted away a few times to deal with my nausea, and after returning, a refugee from Venezuela quietly offered me a tiny red bracelet. She refused any payment. All she said was “for the safety of your child.” I was a stranger she had met that day, someone with whom she had only shared shy smiles and laughed with over my broken Spanish.

With that small gesture, I felt such wonder at the resilience of the millions of refugees who live in uncertainty, but still offer such kindness to the world. Ximena said that she saw that same kindness every single day at the shelter. She cherishes these letters of thanks from the refugees because they remind her of that goodness we all have within us.

You can see the full story we created with Ximena and JRS here: https://sidexsidestudios.com/project/jrs-gala/

06/10/2024

Washington, D.C. x Vienna, Austria x Mexico City x Portland, Oregon

At our team summit a few weeks ago in Washington, D.C., it was inspiring to see the ethos of SideXSide in action. A team spread throughout the world with a wide array of backgrounds and experiences coming together to share our unique points of view on storytelling in the modern era.

We explored how we're working with our partners today, how we're harnessing the power of new technology, and how we'll continue evolving to tell more impactful stories in our ever-shifting world.

While we've built these relationships remotely through Google Meet video calls, Trello cards, and Frame.io notes, technology is merely a tool to bring about true connection. Something worth telling a story about.

📷: Gabriel Silverman, Jamie Coughlin Silverman, Kathryn Carlson, Fernando Tovar, Ahmad Samara, Max Richards, and Deanna Del Ciello.

05/08/2024

In the midst of the bustling Atlanta International Airport, the USO invited pairs of strangers to sit down and have a conversation. The result was an intimate connection between military service members and civilians.

SideXSide was honored to design and produce "Human to Human" to help break down stereotypes and biases of service members, and foster emotional and honest connections between not-so-different communities.

The video is part of the USO's support of Military Appreciation Month, for which the organization has created an engaging and informative experience on their own site. Through shared experiences and stories, the USO brings people together to build bridges of empathy and support.

See the full experience created by the USO, including the video "Human to Human" here: https://www.uso.org/campaign/human-to-human

05/06/2024

Our team is growing! We're proud to announce that SideXSide has added Ahmad Samara as Associate Creative Director and L Cedeno Miller as Producer. They continue the studio’s growth across original films and branded content, and will be based at SXS's Washington D.C. hub.

As Associate Creative Director, Samara will lead creative development on commercial projects, working with the studio’s brand clients.

Samara brings a wide range of skills to the SideXSide team. He has worked on commercials, documentaries, and awareness campaigns, and is known for continually experimenting with visual storytelling styles. He’ll utilize his experience in cinematography, video editing, producing, and directing on the studio’s commercial projects.

As Producer, L will manage projects through all phases of production, including developing stories, coordinating film crews, and ensuring final delivery.

Prior to SideXSide, L worked as a language justice organizer, managing up to 50 interpreters in nine different languages to facilitate better communication across cultures and social movements.

Read the full release at https://sidexsidestudios.com/branded-and-original-doc-studio-sidexside-adds-ahmad-samara-and-l-cedeno-miller/

04/26/2024

Earlier this week, "Finding Us" Director Kathryn Carlson and Producer Karran Harper Royal joined Reel South Docs for an exclusive IG Live interview. The duo shared insight into the inspiration for the film, stories of what it was like to produce the film, and ultimately the impact it had on people who have watched it or been connected because of it.

Check out the recording of the IG Live on Reel South Docs Instagram account here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6KUBbNPZLj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

If you're curious to watch SideXSide's original film "Finding Us", stream it on on the PBS App, PBS.org, and ReelSouth.org now! https://www.pbs.org/video/finding-us-6ohkwi/

Families torn apart by Georgetown’s sale of enslaved people reunite six generations later.

04/22/2024

We're proud to announce that our original film "Finding Us" is now live on PBS! After a run in film festivals last year, the short film will began streaming today on the PBS App, PBS.org, and ReelSouth.org. It will air on LPB, PBS's local affiliate in Louisiana, on 4/24 at 10 PM ET and on MPT, Maryland's local affiliate, on 4/29 at 9 PM. The film is part of the 9th season of PBS's Reel South series.

On Wednesday 4/24 at 6 PM EST, the film's Director Kathryn Carlson and Producer Karran Harper Royal will join Reel South's Instagram Live broadcast. Kathryn and Karran will go behind-the-scenes on what inspired the film, how they created it, and the ongoing impact of sharing this story. Follow Reel South on Instagram to watch the interview live!

If you're in the New Orleans area, join Karran on Wednesday 4/24 from 1:30-2:45 PM CT for a panel speaking about ancestral legacies and future-tense placemaking in partnership with the New Orleans Film Society's South Summit.

"Finding Us" is a portrait of four people whose ancestors were enslaved by the Jesuits of Georgetown University, who are using their unique talents to regrow the family trees felled nearly two centuries ago. In 1838, Georgetown University sold hundreds of their enslaved people who worked on their plantations to stave off bankruptcy, scattering families across the South, never to see each other again. With the help of DNA databases, their descendants are reconnecting six generations later.

“Finding Us” comes from Emmy-nominated and SXSW award-winning producers Jamie Coughlin Silverman and Gabriel Silverman, and Producer Karran Harper Royal, an advocate for the community of descendants. The film is Director Kathryn Carlson’s first solo documentary short after nearly a decade in journalism and commercial film, where she recently received an Emmy for her cinematography work.

Find out more about the nonprofit that launched last week: https://www.descendantsofjesuitenslavement.org/

Stream Finding Us and the other films in Season Nine of Reel South for free at https://www.pbs.org/video/finding-us-6ohkwi/

Film credits:
Director: Kathryn Carlson
Producers: Karran Harper Royal, Gabriel Silverman, and Jamie Coughlin Silverman
Writer: Deanna Del Ciello and Kathryn Carlson
Editor: Liza Slutskaya
Cinematographer: Brandy Bruce and Kathryn Carlson
Additional Cinematography: Gabriel Silverman and Liza Slutskaya
Assistant Camera: Ricardo Betancourt
Music by: Malcolm Parson

Production Company: SideXSide Studios

Cast:
Karran Harper Royal
Negest Rucker
Jerome Spears
Kevin Porter

04/08/2024

We're proud to announce that SideXSide has joined Friedrich Moser's film "How to Build a Truth Engine" as an executive producer. We join an esteemed team of producers, including George Clooney's Smokehouse Pictures.

The Austrian doc made its global premiere in March at SXSW, and marks the first original film project for the studio since opening its Austrian production hub in Vienna earlier this year.

Read the full release at the link below.

https://sidexsidestudios.com/sidexside-boards-sxsw-doc-how-to-build-a-truth-engine/

03/18/2024

More than 130,000 refugees from Ukraine have been settled in Romania since the beginning of the war in February 2022. The team members at HIAS Romania are familiar with this experience, from both a professional and personal standpoint.

Our story centers around HIAS' Romania director, Yiftach Millo, who was born in Israel after his parents left Romania following World War II. Now, after a career working with refugees around the world, he has returned to a place that has loomed so large in his family’s history. This work is especially driven by HIAS’ identity and the personal stories of people like Yiftach.

SideXSide produced this short film with HIAS to highlight how Yiftach and HIAS' partners are providing economic and mental health resources to those in need.

Below is a preview of the film. Click the link to view the full 5 minute short: https://sidexsidestudios.com/project/hias-serving-romanias-ukrainian-refugees/