Committed to creating a more resilient future by telling powerful stories of social change.

At Reel Witness, we strive to create content that is both meaningful and relevant to the world we are living in. Our last three award-winning short documentaries, Present Moment, Little Rebel and This Being Human have been opportunities to showcase powerful individual stories of courage and resilience.

Our first short film, Present Moment, addresses the quiet fortitude of aging with grace and living with a long-term degenerative disease. Following this we made Little Rebel and This Being Human, which tackle the issues of living as a refugee and asylum seeker during the Trump Administration. We felt compelled to counter that narrative by not only witnessing their stories but in doing so we could shed some light on the lasting and valuable contribution that refugees and immigrants have always made to this country. We feel strongly that by highlighting voices like Isatou and Hameed, we get to hear firsthand what they’ve endured but also how they’ve risen above their struggles to emerge as powerful leaders of change in our local and global communities.

Our latest documentary is SURRENDER | A State of Being and it is a follow-up to our first, PRESENT MOMENT. We reconnected with Gary in 2024 where he takes us through the tender exploration of what it’s like living with late-stage Parkinsons and the many changes his body has gone through over the past nine years. The film probes into the reality of being an elder looking back at their life and offering a perspective on learning to surrender to just what is, in every moment.

SURRENDER is a unique Reel Witness production because it utilizes the skills and talents of an entire family unit to create, shoot, and edit a story. In this way, the story becomes a tribute to a family witnessing one another in a powerful act of love and belonging. To explore more about the film and our process of making it, please visit the NEW WORK tab. A public screening of the film is forthcoming, please stay tuned.

We are deeply grateful for all those who have supported our films - film festivals, non-profits, community events, audience members, and our supportive families as well as our dedicated crew. We are humbled by the recognition we’ve been shown for all of our films but we couldn’t have created these moving portraits without the openness and bravery of our subjects in each of our films; Gary, Istaou and Hameed, we thank you for being willing to tell your story and in doing so, you’ve inspired so many others.

From flight to refuge, Reel Witness seeks to humanize the facelessness of emigration and celebrate personal tales of resiliency. Watch the full films in our Documentary Shorts and Portfolio Tabs.

DISTRIBUTION | Evrgrn ONLINE STREAMING CHANNEL

We are honored to have distribution with Tom Skerritt’s company, Triple Squirrels, and their new streaming channel, EVRGRN, which highlights the independent spirit and popular culture influence of the Pacific Northwest. EVRGRN will be streaming both Little Rebel and This Being Human on their channel HERE.