TIPPING POINT
Thursday June 15 / 8 PM / Alberta Abbey
Filmmaker Q+A And Musical Performance by Mic Crenshaw
In 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, the largest civil rights protest in recent history erupted worldwide during a global pandemic. Portland, Oregon, became the focus of media attention for its protests and demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality. TIPPING POINT is a documentary film that captures the first 90 days of the Portland protests. Told through the individual stories of Portlanders on the ground, Tipping Point humanizes the struggle while allowing Portland’s story to serve as a mirror to the rest of the country—the past that brought us here and the future we must choose.
Some Serious Business (SSB) is pleased to sponsor the Portland premiere and to be a part of the team that made this documentary possible. “This film is an opportunity to remember the recent protests and to inspire us to continue the struggle for social justice and equity,” says Danielle Lesniewski, President of the SSB board.
TICKETS AT ALBERTA ABBEY / SLIDING SCALE STARTING AT $15 / EVENTBRITE
Willamette Week wrote that Tipping Point reaches for a “deeper, depoliticized look at the city’s spotlight-grabbing reckoning” through compelling interviews by Julianne R. Johnson and stunning footage captured by director Jon Meyer. It creates a window to examine the recent protests through the perspectives of local protesters, police, activists, live-streamers, historians, and civil rights advocates, that goes beyond the mass-media representation of tear gas, flash-bangs and people screaming.
Most of the footage for Tipping Point was captured by the director, Jon Meyer, as he showed up night after night to witness the Portland protests, and the perspective comes from the streets. Along the way, people volunteered their time to be interviewed to record this vital document. As word spread about the project, live-streamers and photographers offered their work to be used in the film. The documentary was shaped by feedback from a national council of BIPOC activists, filmmakers, producers, sociologists, historians, artists, writers and educators.
The film’s genesis came about while The Old Church Concert Hall (TOC) was shuttered due to Covid-19 and focused on presenting virtual programming in keeping with its mission. One of TOC’s artist partners, local filmmaker Jon Meyer, was on the streets capturing the protests in the weeks following the death of George Floyd. Julianne Johnson, the moderator of TOC’s social justice program We Can Listen, collaborated with Meyer to develop a program about the Portland protests for the We Can Listen series. An early work-in-progress of the film was streamed in November 2020 to an international audience of over 10,000. Then a few generous donors offered funds to help cover the start-up costs of making the film. In 2021 the documentary grew into a feature film and in 2022 made its way onto the film festival circuit. Tipping Point had its worldwide premiere at the Social Justice Film Festival in Seattle, WA where it won the GOLD prize for Best Documentary and Best in Fest.
Funds raised at the Portland premiere this June 15th will bolster efforts to make Tipping Point widely available online. No one involved in producing this documentary will receive profits or royalties. Any profits will be distributed to benefit BIPOC-owned and operated businesses and organizations in the Portland community.
Directed by Jon Meyer. Co-produced by Julianne R. Johnson. A WE CAN LISTEN Production. Executive Producer TOC. Co-Executive Producer Some Serious Business. CONTENT ADVISORY: This documentary film includes footage obtained during the protests on the streets of Portland and contains swearing, street violence, and strong political rhetoric. It may not be suitable for all viewers.
tippingpointfilm.com
theoldchurch.org
someseriousbusiness.org
www.wecanlisten.org
Media Contact: Amanda Stark (she/her/hers) / Tipping Point / 503.869.4608
