Facilitation Guidebravenewfilms.org/educators

A Film by Robert Greenwald

B R A V E N E W F I L M S

The Hight Cost of Low Price

INTRODUCTION CONTENTS

Introduction

Brave New Educators

About the Film Summary Key Issues

Film in the Classroom Background Articles Timeline In-Class Activities In-Class Discussion

Hosting A Screening Planning Your Screening Using Press and Social Media Sample Tweets and Posts Facilitating A Screening Discussion Questions Film to Action Getting Involved

References

Appendix

Welcome! This facilitation guide was created to help professors and groups engage with student audiences. The goal is to provide resources that accompany Brave New Films’ documentaries and short videos to elicit conversation, debate and critical thinking. Our guide is designed for a thorough and thoughtful unpacking of Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, whether you are discussing the film in the classroom or hosting a screening at your university.

Throughout this guide you will find supplemental material, discussion questions, advice on facilitating a screening, as well as ways for students to get involved. For the most up to date information you can visit our website at www.bravenewfilms.org/educators.

This guide is a sample of the vast amount of resources available to you. We encourage you to conduct your own research as well. Thank you for your interest in Brave New Films! We trust that this resource helps you in your endeavor to spread knowledge and spark conversation.

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48We encourage you to tell us about your experiences. The more we know, the better our program can be. Please take a moment to take the survey on our website: www.bravenewfilms.org/educators. We thank you for your interest in Brave New Films!

Brave New Films’ education program, Brave New Educators, uses documentaries to start a dialogue with students and professors across college campuses. With the use of screenings, blogs, articles, and social media, Brave New Educators aims to create conversations that will expand knowledge of important issues and support continual learning whether it is inside or outside the classroom. 

The vision of Brave New Films is an open democratic society that encourages rigorous debate, opportunity, and justice for all. Our mission is to champion social justice issues by using a model of media, education, and grassroots volunteer involvement that inspires, empowers, motivates and teaches civic participation. Brave New Educator’s embraces this mission in all of our work at colleges and universities.

About

BRAVE NEW EDUCATORS ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Robert Greenwald, founder and president of Brave New Films (BNF), is an award-winning television, feature film and documentary filmmaker.

After producing and directing more than 50 TV movies and miniseries, Greenwald turned to documentary filmmaking in 2002, inspired by pervasive voter rights abuses in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. He found audiences eager for substantive investigations of social issues told through personal stories.

Greenwald is the recipient of many awards and accolades, including a Maggie Award from the Planned Parenthood Federation, the Peacemaker Award from the Physicians for Social Responsibility, the City of Justice award from LAANE, the 2007 Norman Felton and Denise Aubuchon Humanitarian Award, and Liberty Hill Foundation’s Upton Sinclair Award. Greenwald was honored in 2013 by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California for his activism and also received the 2001 Peabody Award and the 2002 American Film Institute Producer of the Year award.  His films have garnered 25 Emmy nominations.

RobertGreenwald

Brave New Educators aims to create conversations that will expand knowledge of important issues and support continual learning whether it is inside or outside the classroom.

SECTION 1:About the Film

In the feature length documentary, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, director Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films expose Wal-Mart’s unethical business practices through interviews with former employees, small business owners, and Wal-Mart executives.

The film documents Wal-Mart’s anti-union tactics, the history of their employees living under the poverty line, and their methods of driving away locally owned businesses, as well as the abysmal working conditions in Wal-Mart factories. This will challenge you to ask the question, “Are the low prices worth it?”

While the film illustrates a grim future for communities that allow Wal-Mart to take over their small businesses and exploit poor workers, there is hope for the groups who block Wal-Mart from building in their cities. Their success can give hope to groups willing to work together to stand against corruption.

FilmSummary

SubjectAreas

and KeyIssues

BusinessCommunityCorporate GreedEconomicsFair PayInequalityLaborLawPolitical SciencePovertyUnions

SECTION 1: About the Film

SECTION 2:Film in the Classroom

Watching a documentary in class can provide a shared experience for students and also offer a different lens through which to analyze a topic.

Documentaries engage students in a new way and can be paired with articles, textbooks, etc. which expand upon the films issues for continued learning. In this section, you will find a short background, resources, a timeline, in-class activities and in-class discussion questions.

Film can be a

tremendous tool in the classroom.

On Wal-MartIn 1962, Sam Walton, along with his wife Helen, opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City store in Rogers, Arkansas. Eight years later in 1970, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. began to trade stock as a publicly held company and shortly thereafter, was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. By 1988, the company dominated the retail market becoming the most profitable retail company in the United States. 1

Today, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. continues to hold the title as the world’s biggest retailer. Wal-Mart currently operates more than 11,000 retail units in 27 countries. It employs 2.2 million associates- 1.3 million in the United States alone. 2

However, while Wal-Mart rapidly grew to the largest retail giant in the world, the public is slowly seeing that this success has come at a giant price to workers, communities, and the environment. Wal-Mart has been under much scrutiny from predatory pricing and workers’ discrimination to environmental violations and anti-union allegations. Within the last decade, Wal-Mart has faced a number of class-action lawsuits. In 2008, the company agreed to pay as much as $640 million to settle 63 lawsuits over wage-and-hour violations.3 union-backed OUR Wal-Mart. In 2013, it made national headlines by kicking off their event, “Black Friday” with protests at 1,500 retail locations across the United States.

More recently, Wal-Mart associates founded union-backed OUR Wal-Mart. In 2013, it made national headlines by kicking off their event, “Black Friday” with protests at 1,500 retail locations across the United States.

Facts/Figures

• Wal-Mart averages a profit of $1.8 million every hour.4

• 35 million people shop at Wal-Mart every day, as much as the population of Canada.

• Wal-Mart opened between four and five new stores every week in 2012.

• The Walton family is worth $150 billion, about as much as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg combined.

• Between Wal-Mart’s opening in 1962 and 2002, the number of single-store retailers in the U.S. declined 55%.

• 90% of Americans live within 15 minutes of a Wal-Mart.

• Wal-Mart’s net sales were $466 billion in 2012. That’s more than Argentina’s GDP.

• Wal-Mart has 2.2 million employees, more than the population of Houston.

• Wal-Mart has paid $81.6 million in fines in 2013 alone, after pleading guilty to dumping hazardous waste.

A ShortBackground

SECTION 2: Film in the Classroom

[1] PBS. (2004). The Rise of Wal-Mart. Available: http://www.pbs.

org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/transform/cron.html. Last

accessed February 25, 2014.

[2] Wal-Mart. (2014). Our Business. Available: http://corporate.walmart.

com/. Last accessed February 25, 2014

[3] Reuters. (2010). Wal-Mart in $86 million settlement of wage

lawsuit.Available: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/05/12/us-walmart-lawsuit-settlement-

idUSTRE64B3MG20100512. Last accessed February 25, 2014.

[4] Sources for the Facts and Fig-ures Section can be found in the

“References” Section

SECTION 2: Film in the Classroom

RESOURCES: Articles

Is It Ethical to Shop at Wal-Mart? By Santa Clara University Transcript by Jeffrey Seglin

Wal-Mart employs more people than any other company in America, but with many of its employees living in poverty and with poor work conditions abroad, should you be shopping there?

Wal-Mart or World Mart?Jaques, P, 2002

This article aims to bring about discussion concerning the responsibility of big corporations such as Wal-mart.

Profitable Globalization and The Ethical Dilemma of U.S. Job LossJames Hendee (2008)

Through a case study of Wal-Mart’s use of the Chinese Work force, Hendee examines the dilemma companies face when using cheap labor.

The Wal-Mart debate: a false choice between prices and wagesBivens, Bernstein, 2006

This Working Paper accesses the competing claims regarding impact and wage.

A Downward Push: The Impact of Wal-Mart Stores of Retail Wages and Benefits: Dube, Lester, Eidlin (2007)

Through the UC Berkeley Labor Center, Dube, Lester and Eidlin examine the impact low wages have on communities.

SECTION 2: Film in the Classroom

1962 19911972 1999 2004 2007 2011

1970 1977 1992 2001 2005 2008 2012

Rogers, Arkansas-first Wal-Mart store opened by Sam Walton at age 44.

Illinois became the tenth state to have a Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart opened its first international store in Mexico City.

Wal-Mart fined $3.1 million by EPA, the largest ever for a retailer, for Clean Water Act violations in Texas, Colorado, California, Delaware, Michigan, South Dakota, New Jersey, Tennessee and Utah.

Wal-Mart agrees to pay $33.5 million in back wages plus interest to settle a federal lawsuit that accused the company of violating overtime laws involving 86,680 workers across the United States.

100 Wal-Mart associates representing thousands of OUR Wal-Mart members from across the United States presented Declaration of Respect to Wal-Mart executive management in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Dukes V. Wal-Mart appeal. Supreme Court ruled in Wal-Mart’s favor, saying the plaintiffs did not have enough in common to constitute a class.

Dukes v. Wal-Mart. Federal district judge, Martin Jenkins, ruled in favor of class action certification in Wal-Mart vs. Dukes.

President George H. W. Bush awards Sam Walton with Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Connecticut EPA orders Wal-Mart to pay $1.15 million for Clean Water Act violations in 22 stores.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agrees to pay as much as $640 million to settle 63 lawsuits over wage-and-hour violations.

The New York Times releases an article that claims Wal-Mart’s leaders shut down investigations to an alleged $24 million widespread bribery case across Mexico by Wal-Mart de Mexico. Wal-Mart fined by the

United States’ Labor Department for denying workers overtime pay and agrees to pay $4.8 million in back wages.

Wal-Mart is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

All new Wal-Mart construction halted in state of Pennsylvania due to Environmental Violations.

Dukes v. Wal-Mart- lawsuit against Wal-Mart for sex discrimination began in US District Court in San Francisco, representing 1.6 million women, including women who were currently working or who had previously worked in a Wal-Mart store since December 26, 1998.

Wal-Mart goes public.

TIMELINE

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low PriceUpworthy Assignment

For this assignment:

1. Watch the Upworthy clip of Senator Bernie Sanders asking a panel of experts to defend Wal-Mart with your class.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-senator-asks-a-panel-of-experts-to-defend-walmart-it-gets-awkward

2. Lead a class discussion answering Senator Sanders’ question. Do you think the Walton Family, worth $100 billion, is in need of welfare from the middle class in this country? Do you think we should raise the minimum wage so that those workers can earn a living wage and not have to get Medicaid or food stamps?

Activitiesfor

Educators

SECTION 2: Film in the Classroom

The Socially Responsible Consumer Assignment

This assignment seeks to engage students with the clothes they buy and the individuals who make them. Break into groups of 3-4. At least one student must have a computer. You will be researching the companies and labor policies based on the clothes you are wearing.

1. Locate the tags on the clothes you are currently wearing. 2. List the companies. 3. Research the following information based on the above information: What are the company’s labor policies? Where are the clothes made? Are workers guaranteed union? What is the minimum wage? How many hours per day does each employee work? Find and summarize past and current articles regarding labor issues facing the company. How easy or difficult was it to find information about your companies’ labor policies?

4. Create a 5-minute presentation based on your research.

1. After watching the film, do you still think that it is ethical to shop at Wal-Mart?

2. How do companies like Wal-Mart drive people to government services like Medicaid and food stamps? Cathy Nemchik, a former Wal-Mart employee says, “Look at the way Wal-Mart is using the system. They’re promoting people to get food stamps... they’re the ones that are using the system.” Would it be fair to say that Wal-Mart is dependent on government aid?

3. What effect does Wal-Mart have on the surrounding community when it moves in? Not just small businesses, but government programs like schools? How might this impact the future of these communities?

4. What does Wal-Mart’s reaction to issues of security, the environment, and discrimination say about its core values? How is this incongruous with the values stated by CEO Lee Scott?

5. If it’s true that an average of 12 people apply to every one job at Wal-Mart, why do you think this would be?

6. Wal-Mart holds the title as the world’s largest retailer, employing 2.2 million employees worldwide, which makes it an active player to both the U.S. and world economies. At the same time, the retail store is also under much scrutiny for its anti-union tactics, poor record on worker’s rights, insufficient environmental protection policies, and its negative effect on local small business stores. Given this fact, how do you conceptualize the Wal-Mart debate? If you were given title as Wal-Mart’s Chief Executive Office, what changes would you make, if any?

7. Can Wal-Mart and local small business stores work together to find a happy medium? What can small business do to compete with Wal-Mart? What policies can Wal-Mart enact that can support local small business?

8. What is the role of government concerning Wal-Mart? Should the government regulate, why or why not?

More questions can be found in the “Host a Screening” section.

In-Class Discussion QuestionsSECTION 2: Film in the Classroom

SECTION 3:Hosting a Screening

Film screenings held on college campuses often have a unique ability to spark in-depth discussion and promote student activism. Whether your screening is intended to complement coursework, or provide an open forum for the university community, it creates opportunity for thoughtful communication and powerful social and civic action. Before you host your own campus event, read through the tips below to ensure that your screening can become one that fosters open dialogue.

Hosting A Screening

REGISTER Register your screening on www.bravenewfilms.org/educators to make use of resources. The more we know, the more we can assist you in creating the event that would best serve your school.

LOCATIONFind a good time and place for your event by choosing a time/date that is conducive to a college audience and an auditorium size that meets your expectations. Picking the ideal time and location for your screening is critical. You don’t want to host during midterm seasons. More importantly, you don’t want to host your screening during the same time the ice cream store on the corner is also giving away free ice cream. Research events already planned into the school calendar and through your collaborations, plan a time and date that has the most potential for a good turnout.

SPEAKERHave a confident and open facilitator- this person may be you or a guest. The conversation after the film matters greatly. The key is providing a safe place for students to share their thoughts and speak their minds. We offer tips on the Facilitate a Screening page if you are facilitating yourself. If you would like to invite a speaker from the film or an expert in the field, please contact laurie@bravenewfilms.org for a full list of available speakers.

SUPPORTFind support in faculty, departments and organizations. If you are a student, find faculty who would mentor planning such an event. If faculty, collaborating with outside departments can be tremendously helpful in providing insights through their specialties and also in the planning process itself. After you are finished with your event, complete the survey on the Brave New Educator’s section of the website.

OUTREACHMake use of press and social media (read more in the 5 tips sections). Part of your outreach will be about forming a community prior to the event itself. The use of press and social media will be about building up to the event, through sharing information, providing clear details of the event and about building excitement. Universities often have press offices as well, and can be wonderful resources to advertise your event. They may also be able to help you think about ways to collaborate with community groups. This will help get to get a good turnout.

Step#1

Step#3

Step#5

Step#2

Step#4

5 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL SCREENING

SECTION 3: Hosting a Screening

SECTION 3: Hosting a Screening

5 TIPS FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA

STAY ACTIVE: Consistency is your best friend in social media. When it comes to Twitter, post often - the more you post, the more your posts will be seen.  No need to go crazy with Facebook posts. What you want is to create an expectation: if your followers expect a frequency of new, fresh content, they’ll be more enticed to keep returning to your page.  

ENGAGE WITH THE PEOPLEI.e., your audience. They ask a question - answer. Be relatable - let your people know that there is a living, breathing person behind the page. This is another example of how relationship building is key in social media (it’s called “social” for a reason). It is essential to make your followers feel acknowledged and appreciated.  

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!Reach out to individual influencers and organizations with a similar mission and cultivate a relationship. They will likely be sharing content relevant to your work or message, and you’ll be able to support their efforts by sharing that content to your page. And, odds are, they will happily return the favor by promoting your event or participate in your discussion.

Tip#1

Tip#3

Tip #2

ANALYZETracking the success of your posts is a must. It’ll provide you with the necessary insight to make educated choices when it comes to future posts. You’ll quickly learn what does and does not resonate with your audience and be able to react accordingly.

Step#5

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS...and more LIKES. Graphics are the king of shareable content on Facebook and Twitter. When you post graphics, be concise. Followers are unlikely to read through a rambling post and can even be discouraged from sharing. Short videos are a far second, with text-only posts at a far away third. 

Step#4

TONIGHT! _______(organization) will be hosting a special screening of Brave New Films (link to our FB page) Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price in ________ (location) at _____(time). There will also be a post-screen discussion! #Walmart

Tell us your thoughts about Wal-Mart! Come to a screening of Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price by Robert Greenwald: (insert details here) @bravenewedu

Posts

SAMPLE TWEETS AND POSTS FOR YOUR SCREENINGS

SECTION 3: Hosting a Screening

Is @walmart good for America? Watch @bravenewfilms Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price at (insert details) @robertgreenwald #BraveNewEdu

Is saving a few pennies worth it? @WalMart The High Cost of Low Price @BraveNewFilms #BraveNewEdu

Tweets

5 WAYS TO ENSURE YOUR EVENT IS NEWSWORTHY

Your story should be timely and fresh. If it’s adding to a current hot-topic, what’s the new angle? Are you offering a story or position that hasn’t been reported yet?

New and Hot

Your outreach should always have something for every medium and every sense. Radio listeners can picture the story and newspaper readers can hear about the sounds.

Visible and Quotable

Think about how this story directly affects your neighbor. Every media outlet likes to see itself as the local voice. How does your story matter to the locals?

Local and Relevant

Controversy gets coverage. For your screening, consider having a Question & Answer session afterward. What about a debate between the college democrats, republicans and libertarians? Think about creating a strong dialogue that will interest journalists and students to stay through just the screening.

Conflict or Controversy

Put a name to the story. If you’re talking about health care, drones or prisons don’t just cite statistics; tell the story of someone to whom people can relate.

Human Interest

For examples of a Media Advisory and Press Release please see Appendix 1 and 2.

SECTION 3: Hosting a Screening

This section is intended to guide the facilitator through the introduction and post-screening discussion.

It may feel overwhelming, but most of the time a conversation will develop after initial discussion questions. If not, we have some tips to use when facilitating a discussion in general, and specific activities and discussion questions for each film.

Facilitating A Screening

Be open. Value audience feedback and let your attitude create a respectful environment.

This is not your time to lecture. If the audience is quiet, consider putting them in small groups, or use the discussion questions as your guide.

Start simple and use the feedback to delve into more specific questions and concerns.

Be prepared to answer questions. The facilitator’s purpose is to lead the conversation, but he/she is also a source of information for the audience.

Be an active listener.

INTRODUCTIONS: Introduce yourself, your organization, and the film itself. Inform the audience that there will be a discussion immediately following the film. If you have special guests or a panel, go ahead and tell your audience about them now. WATCH THE FILM- Watch the film as a groupREFLECTION- Give the audience a moment for reflection (but not too long or they might leave). INITIAL RESPONSES- Begin with a broad question such as, “ What are your initial responses to the film?” or “ Who has initial thoughts, opinions about the film that he or she would like to share?” ** If you have a special guest, introduce them now, or immediately following the film. BUILDING A CONVERSATION- See the discussion question sections of each film for possible discussion questions. DIRECT and REDIRECT- It’s wonderful to get to discuss bigger topics related to the films: the war on terror, surveillance, military interventions, etc, but if for whatever reason the conversation gets to discuss what everyone had for breakfast, or contemplating the Big Bang Theory, just try to steer everyone back to a question on the list, or build off what the last person said that was relevant. WRAP-UP and THANK YOU- Come to a conclusion or final thoughts. Encourage the audience to stay after and discuss their ideas longer if the room is available. Also, encourage the audience to Facebook, Tweet about or simply “Like” the Film. Ask for audience feedback with our survey. It will help in screenings and interactions to come. Say THANK YOU!!!

Thingsto

Remember

Stepsto

Facilitating

FACILITATING A SCREENING

Facilitator: one that helps to bring about an outcome (as learning, productivity, or communication) by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, or supervision.

1. If you were appointed CEO how would you change Wal-Mart?

2. Are you willing to shop at Wal-Mart? Why or why not?

3. How are shoppers responsible for the policies of Wal-Mart, locally and globally?

4. In current events, much of the discussion is revolved around increasing minimum wage. The Pope recently praised clothing retailer, Gap Inc., for increasing the minimum wage to $9 in 2014 and $10 the year after. Weigh out the pros and cons on whether Wal-Mart should increase its minimum wage. Discuss effects.

5. Sam Walton once said, “Our people make the difference.” What is Wal-Mart’s relationship to its workers?

6. What is the most damaging part of Wal-Mart policy?

7. Would you describe Wal-mart as an innovative company? Why or why not?

8. Do you think about the conditions in which your clothes are made?

9.Do you think that your shopping habits can affect labor laws? Why or why not?

10. What was the most important issue that stood out to you in the film, and why?

Discussion Questions for ScreeningSECTION 2: Film in the Classroom

SECTION 4:Film to Action

How can you help? How can you be more involved? College students bring wonderful energy to causes, and Brave New Films encourages you to check out organizations that work with policy and advocacy.

Remember, sharing this film, talking to a friend, or opening a dialogue with a classmate can be a real catalyst for change. At Brave New Films, we believe that knowledge is power. Your conversations and critical engagement with drone warfare is incredibly valuable.

To learn about more ways to be involved, we encourage you to check out one of the following organizations: Our Walmart, and Change Walmart.org. Also look for ways to support unions in your own community and actively look for stores that protect their workers.

Ways toGet

Involved

FILM TO ACTION

REFERENCES

Nudleman, M. (2013). 14 Facts About Wal-Mart that will blow your mind. Available:

http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-wal-mart-to-blow-your-mind-2013-10.

Last accessed February 25, 2014.

Reuters. (2010). Wal-Mart in $86 million settlement of wage lawsuit.Available:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/05/12/us-walmart-lawsuit-settlement-

idUSTRE64B3MG20100512. Last accessed February 25, 2014.

PBS. (2004). The Rise of Wal-Mart. Available: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/

frontline/shows/walmart/transform/cron.html. Last accessed February 25, 2014.

Steps International . (2013). Facilitator’s Guide. Available: http://www.whypoverty.

net/inc/uploads/files/WhyPoverty_FacilitatorsGuide(1).pdf. Last accessed

September 25 2014.

Wal-Mart. (2014). Our Business. Available: http://corporate.walmart.com/. Last

accessed February 25, 2014.

APPENDIX 1: Sample Press Advisory APPENDIX 2: Sample Press Release

Components

of Your News

Advisory

<--- Letterhead

(Optional)

<---Release

Type, Date, and

Contact Line

<---Head

<--- Brief,

factual blurb

Components

of Your News

Advisory

<--- Letterhead

(Optional)

<---Release

Type, Date, and

Contact Line

<---Head

<--- Brief,

factual blurb

Immediate Release:October 29, 2013

Immediate Release:October 29, 2013

Contact: Linsey Pecikonis310-204-0448x 225

press@bravenewfilms.org

Contact: Linsey Pecikonis310-204-0448x 225

press@bravenewfilms.org

Civilian Drone Strike Survivors Appear before Congress for First TimeWASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert Greenwald, President and Director at Brave New Films will convene a Congressional Briefing called by Representative Alan Grayson (FL-09), along with drone strike survivors from North Waziristan, Pakistan. Rafiq Ur Rehman, a teacher at a Primary school in Pakistan will discuss the day his children and his mother had been gravely injured in a U.S. drone strike. His mother died in the attack.

This event marks the first opportunity for Congress to hear from drone strike survivors from Pakistan.

WHO: Rafiq ur Rehman, whose 63-year-old mother was killed by a drone strike. Rafiq’s chidren, Nabila Rehman and Zubair Rehman who were injured by a drone strike will also speak. WHAT: Congressional BriefingWHEN: Tuesday, October 29th at 10:00AM WHERE: 2237 Rayburn House Office Building

In Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars, the eighth full-length feature documentary from Brave New Foundation, Greenwald investigates the impact of U.S. drone strikes through more than 70 separate interviews. The documentary includes interviews with a former American drone operator, Pakistani families mourning loved ones and seeking legal redress, investigative journalists pursuing the truth, and military officials warning against blowback from the loss of innocent life.

### Robert Greenwald, founder and president of Brave New Films (BNF), is an award-winning television, feature film and documentary filmmaker. The documentaries produced by Brave New Films have been streamed across all 7 continents and have been viewed over 70 million times and counting. His films have garnered 25 Emmy nominations. Follow Robert on twitter @robertgreenwald

Civilian Drone Strike Survivors Appear before Congress for First TimeNew Clip Shown From Robert Greenwald’s Forthcoming Documentary “Unmanned: America”WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert Greenwald, President and Director at Brave New Films spoke Congressional Briefing called by Representative Alan Grayson (FL-09), along with drone strike survivors from North Waziristan, Pakistan. Rafiq Ur Rehman, a teacher at a Primary school in Pakistan discussed the day his children and his mother had been gravely injured in a U.S. drone strike. His mother died in the attack.

“When it comes to national security matters like drone strikes, it’s important that we hear not only from the proponents of these attacks, but also from the victims. They have a unique perspective to share with Congress,” said Rep. Alan Grayson.

“Rafiq ur Rehman has traveled from North Waziristan to tell his story before Congress because he believes that more people should know that these strikes are killing and terrorizing innocent families,” said Robert Greenwald, producer and director of Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars, which features Mr. Rehman’s story. “It is imperative that Congress and the White House know that the implementation of U.S. drone strikes abroad are fueling anti-American sentiment and serving as a tool for terrorist recruitment.”

In Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars, the eighth full-length feature documentary from Brave New Foundation, Greenwald investigates the impact of U.S. drone strikes through more than 70 separate interviews. The documentary includes interviews with a former American drone operator, Pakistani families mourning loved ones and seeking legal redress, investigative journalists pursuing the truth, and military officials warning against blowback from the loss of innocent life.

### Robert Greenwald, founder and president of Brave New Films (BNF), is an award-winning television, feature film and documentary filmmaker. The documentaries produced by Brave New Films have been streamed across all 7 continents and have been viewed over 70 million times and counting.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Rafiq ur Rehman or Robert Greenwald Please contact Linsey at 310-204-0448x225.

###

The content for this guide was created by Eva Bloomfield, Margaret Brown,Stephen Doyle, Laurie Jones, Linsey Pecikonis and Ngan Pham.

Brave New Educators is a program of Brave New Films. www.bravenewfilms.org

THANK YOU