Media That Matters

The goals of the completed Reel Lives films, and the Media That Matters collection, are to promote social change and achieve broad audience awareness and education through community events, social networks and global outreach.

“We no longer have to rely on major corporations for things to be seen—we have Media that Matters to distribute new material and new voices and new points of view.”

-Tim Robbins, Actor

Media That Matters is the premiere showcase for short films on the most important topics of the day. Local and global, online and in communities around the world, Media That Matters engages diverse audiences and inspires them to take action. From gay rights to global warming, the jury-selected collection represents the work of a diverse group of independent filmmakers, many of whom are under 21. The films are equally diverse in style and content, with documentaries, music videos, animations, experimental work and everything else in between. What all the films have in common is that they spark debate and action in 12 minutes or less.

The annual collection, currently in its 12th year, launches in New York, marking the beginning of a jam-packed year of Media That Matters. The films stream online, broadcast nationally and are distributed on a DVD along with accompanying curriculum to educators and activists. Media That Matters reaches thousands through community screenings around the world. From classrooms to boardrooms, movie theatres to home theatres, hundreds of events take place throughout the year. Previous presenters include Tim Robbins, Al Franken, David Cross, Woody Harrelson, Barbara Kopple and Peter Yarrow.

Outreach & Impact

The goals of the completed Reel Lives films, and our curated collection of Media That Matters, are to promote social change and achieve broad audience awareness and education through community events, social networks and global outreach. The unique impact of youth participation in social-issue advocacy efforts, along with a need for high quality, youth produced social-issue short films, means that our productions fill a gap in the market.

Since Reel Lives’ inception in June 2010, our students have produced over 60 films, with viewership growing every day: 2,500 people have watched our films via managed screenings, over 20,000 page views via our website, 12,000 YouTube viewers and almost 50,000 viewers of our videos on Vimeo.

With a current collection of over 170 short films, MTM reaches millions of engaged viewers via our 100+ public screenings co-hosted annually, thousands of DVDs distributed among schools, colleges and community organizations worldwide, 2 million YouTube viewers every year, a social network reach of over 4 million and ongoing broadcast opportunities. Recent sponsors include Ford Foundation, NYSCA, NEA and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.