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(Wednesday, March 29th, 2023) - Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Colin K. Gray, produced by The Sibs, and executive produced by Lucy Liu, UNZIPPED: An Autopsy of American Inequality has been hailed as the “frontline” documentary “for America’s housing divide” by Variety. This searing exposé of the growing affordable housing crisis in America intimately examines one of the country’s most income divided zip codes, Venice CA 90291, through a series of emotionally-charged vignettes and will make its theatrical debut Friday, March 31st at the Laemmle Monica Film Center. Following its week-long screening stint, the film will make its global debut on the online streaming platform Waterbear on April 14th followed by releases on Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Tubi and more from June 1st onwards. The film will also appear at further screenings this summer in NY and LA with details to be announced.
UNZIPPED is produced by GRAiNEY PICTURES in association with Ley Line Entertainment and The Nation of Artists and features tracks from acclaimed rap duo, Run The Jewels. The film’s diverse crew includes all-women identifying production and graphic design teams and over 50% BIPOC executive producers that’s brought audiences Everything Everywhere All at Once, Miss Juneteenth, Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, Black Boys, The Square, Atari: Game Over and Freedom’s Fury.
Says Gray of the endeavor, “As we release our film around the globe, it is vital for people to realize this is not just a Venice problem, or a Californian problem. The stories that unfold in UNZIPPED provide a local lens on a growing national issue and are a reflection of the structural inequity that America’s housing and healthcare systems are built upon. Racist systems have pushed far too many to the brink of survival. But this moment of crisis is also a moment of opportunity. Our goal is to catalyze debate and action to provide more equitable housing solutions for every zip code in America and beyond.”
Once a mecca for artists, outsiders and a thriving Black community, Venice CA is now the frontline for America’s heated battles over affordable housing and homelessness. With moving, personal profiles of two families who struggle to remain in their rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, to bitterly contested community fights over a proposed homeless shelter, UNZIPPED explodes stereotypes and humanizes the lived experiences of people caught in the cross-fire of America’s housing divide.
The film also features interviews with leading politicians and stakeholders who dig into the root causes of the affordable housing crisis and its intersection with rising income inequality, racial disparities and the structural inequities of America’s housing policies. A topical local lens on this alarming humanitarian issue,UNZIPPED is an urgent call to action for more equitable housing solutions for every community in America and around the globe.
UNZIPPED debuted at the Newport Beach Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, screened at the American Black Film Festival, Twin Cities and Ojai Film Festivals, and was nominated for a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature.
A companion, non-partisan, affordable housing impact campaign, #RaiseTheRoof, is also launching alongside the global film release which offers ancillary content and targeted campaign programs to advance the affordable housing movement by deepening the American public’s understanding of our nation’s history and present crisis around affordable housing and homelessness. Resources and educational elements for furthered community investment include university and high school screenings with 10% of all film revenue given to national and international affordable housing and homeless advocacy orgs.
For more information on the campaign and the film’s partners — Plus Media Solutions, Video Project, and Journeys in Film — visit the contact page at: www.unzippedmovie.com
Additional local partners of UNZIPPED include Venice Family Clinic, Venice Community Housing, Venice Heritage Museum, Safe Place for Youth (S. P. Y. ), St. Joseph Center and Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Land Conservancy.
Stay tuned for more coming soon on UNZIPPED.
About Colin K. Gray
Colin is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and screenwriter. Uniting every project he tackles is a deep commitment to crafting powerful stories that challenge the status quo.
In addition to directing & writing, UNZIPPED: An Autopsy of American Inequality (2023), Colin's feature documentary credits include producing Being Canadian (eOne - 2016 WGA nominee, Best Documentary); producing ATARI: Game Over (Netflix - 2014); writing/co-producing Redlight (Showtime - 2010); and directing & writing Freedom’s Fury the acclaimed feature documentary about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the infamous “Blood In The Water” Olympic water polo match (Fortissimo / HBO 2006 - named one of the 20 Greatest Sports Documentaries of All Time by Esquire magazine). Colin, Megan, and EPs Quentin Tarantino and Lucy Liu, were knighted by Hungary for the film.
Colin's scripted credits include writing the screenplays Savage Lands (Austin Film Fest Semi-Finalist 2018), and The Road Dance (2018); and co-writing and directing the short film Meena, based on the novel "Half The Sky" (PBS/ UNICEF - Webby award winner, 2014). He was also a staff writer on the new Netflix’s children’s series Phantom Pups (2022).
Colin’s ongoing commitment to social impact work includes directing the award-winning House + Home campaign for Habitat for Humanity (2021); EP/ directing the Band Together campaign for Action Against Hunger (2019); raising awareness about human trafficking with the short doc Road To Traffik (2009); writing & directing PSAs for UNICEF’s TAP Water Project; writing & directing PSAs for the Myanmar Relief efforts (2008); and filming the Palestinian Presidential elections for the democracy movement One Voice (2005).
Colin is a dual U.S. / Canadian citizen and a graduate of the University of Michigan with degrees in Political Science and French Literature. In 2003, he co-founded the award-winning content creation studio GRAiNEY PICTURES with his sister and longtime creative collaborator, Megan Raney Aarons. He is married and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, daughter and their silver lab, Henry.
About Waterbear
Waterbear is an award-winning digital media publisher and streaming network committed to driving impact around the world. With feature-length documentaries, engaging short films and inspirational media, Waterbear encourages viewers to watch, connect and take action. It is available in 192 countries.
UNZIPPED: An Autopsy of American Inequality On The Web:
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For more information please contact Rebecca Shapiro or Grace Fleisher at Shore Fire Media at rshapiro@shorefire.com or gfleisher@shorefire.com.
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