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The award-winning documentary UNZIPPED: An Autopsy of American Inequality, a searing exposé of the growing affordable housing crisis in America, is now available across streaming services worldwide including Amazon (U.S., U.K. and Australia), Vimeo, WaterBear and others following premieres in New York City and Los Angeles.
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, a film that “humanizes” the issue by KCRW, and an “important, powerful and enlightening” documentary by KPCC’s FilmWeek.
Last month, the film celebrated its red carpet premiere in New York City in partnership with the New York State Association for Affordable Housing and the NYU Furman Center at the NYU School of Law. The film’s screening was followed by a Q&A/Panel moderated by NY Times housing reporter, Mahir Zaveri, with the film's writer/director Colin K. Gray, NYU Furman Center’s Vicki Been, the NYC Dept of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park, NYSAFAH’s board vice-chair, Kirk Goodrich, and ANDH’s executive director Barika Williams.
Its Los Angeles premiere took place at the Hollywood Legion Theater and was followed by a panel moderated by KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis and included Housing Californnia’s executive director Chione Flegal, Venice Community Housing’s executive director Becky Dennison, Residents United Network (RUN) advocate Maria Hernandez, and writer / director Gray.
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 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.
Earlier this year the film had an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run March 31st - April 6th in Los Angeles, followed by a global debut on Waterbear April 14th in 192 countries.
A companion, non-partisan, affordable housing impact campaign, #RaiseTheRoof, has also launched alongside the global film release. An interactive impact hub offers simple ways for people to learn, get involved and advance the affordable housing movement by deepening the American public’s understanding of the housing crisis and its symptom, homelessness. Additional resources include an interactive #RaiseTheRoof zip code tracker where people can type in their address and get connected to housing services organizations in their own communities and ways for people to host their own community screenings. Educational elements include a downloadable Community Learning Guide, as well as opportunities for university and high school screenings. 10% of all film revenue will be given to national and international affordable housing and homeless advocacy organizations.
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.
On June 23rd, UNZIPPED releases on iTunes, Google Play, and YouTube. UNZIPPED has also just been submitted for Emmy consideration and is now running a For Your Consideration (FYC) campaign.
About UNZIPPED
Once a mecca for artists, outsiders and a thriving Black community, Venice 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.
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.
On The Web:
Website
Impact Hub
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
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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