How to Host a Screening of The Next American Revolution

This spring, people all across the country will be screening The Next American Revolution in their communities or on their campuses—and you can be one of them! Read on for some helpful hints on managing a successful grassroots viewing party for the film.

General tips: find your audience

When organizing a screening event for your community, think about inviting the membership of a group you belong to—say, a book club, a student association, or a faith organization.

One Month Before the Screening

Select the appropriate venue: For nonprofit groups wishing to hold a public screening, the DVD is available through the Media Education Foundation; for a screening at home, the film can be purchased through Amazon.

Select a date and time. Let us know at keane-at-democracycollaborative-dot-org so we can help promote it as well.

Advertise your event on social media (start a Facebook event, for example), email your friends and family, reach out to local groups, and ask your friends and family to invite more people. You can use a website like Evite to send out invitations and reminders.

You can even reach out to a local paper to include an announcement in their pages. You can print out our pre-made posters with the time and date of the screening, and post them, with permission, at your local library, religious center, or school.

Print out a sample of discussion questions and/or related articles for your guests.

The Day of the Screening

Set out the materials you have prepared.

Start the Film Screening Event

Welcome the audience.

Introduce the video.

Show the DVD.

Discussion

Host a conversation, using some of our discussion questions as a jumping-off point. Based on the number of people, you can break into smaller groups and reconvene with general thoughts.

Brainstorm ways your community can get involved and make a difference, taking down notes from suggestions and comments offered by group members.

Close the Film Screening Event

Make closing remarks and thank the audience for coming, and take down the contact information from participants to coordinate next steps that you would like to take collectively in your community, and announce the next event or activity in your community.