Brave New Films is a left-of-center media production organization that has produced feature length and short documentaries and videos. While there are broad themes in the films’ subject matter, notably what Brave New Films identifies as “social justice,” their subjects range from increasing the minimum wage to American foreign policy to accusations of voter suppression. Brave New Films often produces content which argues that there is so-called “systemic racism” that permeates American society. ¹

Founding and History

Brave New Films was founded in 2005 by producer and director Robert Greenwald. The group has produced eight feature length documentaries on subjects ranging from foreign policy to gun control to the company Walmart. The group has also produced numerous shorter films and videos on a wide array of left-of-center topics, including claims of voter suppression, criticism of economic inequality, and calls for left-of-center policy implementation on criminal justice issues. ²

Finances

In Fiscal year 2019, Brave New Films reported $1,176,150 in revenue, of which $1,148,305 was derived from contributions and grants. It reported $2,475,777 in expenses, of which $1,617,141 was allocated towards employee salary and benefits. It ended the year with $1,299,627 in losses and $2,027,767 in net assets. ³

Brave New Films receives financial support from an array of left-of-center foundations, including the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation. ⁴

Priority Issues

Brave New Films creates advocacy films in policy areas to advance what it considers to be a “social justice” agenda. The group has produced both feature length and short films with the intention of gaining sympathy for left-of-center causes.

Elections and Voting

Brave New Films has produced several films alleging that there is widespread voter suppression in the United States. In Suppressed 2020, Brave New Films founder and president Robert Greenwald argued that Republicans have been behind a campaign of voter suppression rooted in racism to prevent ethnic minorities from voting . The film features failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who has long maintained that she only lost the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election due to voter suppression. ⁵ However, even the left-of-center PolitiFact, run by the Poynter Institute, has stated that there is no proof of Abrams’ claims. ⁶

The group also produced several short films promoting voting by mail in the 2020 election and produced specific video instructions for voting in the potential swing states of Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. ⁷

Criminal Justice

Brave New Films has produced short films dealing with aspects of the criminal justice system, which it claims is based on racism and classism. Brave New Films has argued against the detention of illegal immigrants, opposed cash bail, and accused the media of being racist in its portrayal of crimes. ⁸ The group’s work has been cited in coverage of congressional work on criminal justice reform. ⁹

Inequality

Brave New Films has produced several short videos on economic inequality, including videos arguing that carried interest should be taxed, supporting higher pay for adjunct professors, claiming that colleges are too focused on sports, and advocating in favor of a higher minimum wage. ¹⁰ The group has also produced two feature length films on economic issues, one attacking Walmart and the other attacking libertarian businessmen and philanthropists Charles and David Koch. ¹¹

Gun Control

Brave New Films has produced several videos arguing in favor of gun control. Brave New Films has  claimed that gun control is a public health issue, argued in support of rules that ban students from carry firearms on college campuses, and called for divestment from gun manufacturers. ¹² The group has also produced a feature length film attacking the gun industry and the National Rifle Association (NRA). ¹³

Foreign Policy

Brave New Films has produced a variety of short films dealing with foreign policy issues, especially critiquing the American military. These videos have included calls to fire Obama administration CIA Director John Brennan, critiqued the cost of the F-35 fighter jet, and called for new negotiations to avoid war with Iran. ¹⁴ The group has also produced feature length films on the Iraq War and war profiteering, the use of unmanned drones, and the Afghanistan War. ¹⁵

Staff and Leadership

Robert Greenwald is the founder and president of Brave New Films. Prior to forming the nonprofit, he was involved in the production and direction of a number of television shows and movies and has been nominated for and received numerous awards, including 25 Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. He has directed many of Brave New Films’ productions. ¹⁶

Greenwald written numerous articles for the left-of-center HuffPost, taking a left-of-center stance on issues such as immigration, criminal justice policy, and gun control. ¹⁷ In the wake of the politically motivated attack by a left-wing gunman at a baseball practice involving Republican officials in 2017, Greenwald likened the Republican legislators who survived the attack to hostages to the gun industry who had Stockholm Syndrome. ¹⁸

Greenwald has contributed to exclusively left-of-center candidates and PACs, including $5,000 to the left-of-center Future Now Fund that works on state legislature races. ¹⁹

1. King, Maya, Nicholas Wu, and Marianne Levine. “Dems Have a Problem on Police Reform — and It’s Not the GOP.” POLITICO, May 8, 2021. Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/08/democrats-police-reform-activists-485555.
2. Brave New Films. “About.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/about.
3. Brave New Films, IRS (Form 990), 2019, Part I
4. Brave New Films. “About.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/about.
5. Brave New Films. “Suppressed 2020: The Fight to Vote.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/suppressed.
6. Sherman, Amy. “PolitiFact – No Proof Voter Suppression Kept Stacey Abrams from Governorship, as Democrats Said in Atlanta Debate.” Politifact.com. November 21, 2019. Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.politifact.com/article/2019/nov/21/no-proof-voter-suppression-kept-stacey-abrams-gove/.
7. Brave New Films. “Vote By Mail.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/vote.
8. Brave New Films. “Justice Shorts.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/justice_shorts.
9. King, Maya, Nicholas Wu, and Marianne Levine. “Dems Have a Problem on Police Reform — and It’s Not the GOP.” POLITICO, May 8, 2021. Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/08/democrats-police-reform-activists-485555.
10. Brave New Films. “Inequality Shorts.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/inequality_shorts.
11. Brave New Films. “Brave New Faith Program.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/faith.
12. Brave New Films. “Gun Violence.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/guns_shorts.
13. Brave New Films. “Brave New Faith Program.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/faith.
14. Brave New Films. “Security.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/security_shorts.
15. Brave New Films. “Brave New Faith Program.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/faith.
16. Brave New Films. “Robert Greenwald.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.bravenewfilms.org/robert_greenwald.
17. “Robert Greenwald | HuffPost.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.huffpost.com/author/robert-greenwald.
18. Greenwald, Robert. “Congressional NRA ‘Hostages’ Exhibit Full-Fledged Stockholm Syndrome.” HuffPost, 22:50 400AD. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/congressional-nra-hostages-exhibit-full-fledged-stockholm_b_594323dbe4b024b7e0df4aa7.
19. FEC.gov. “Browse Individual Contributions: Robert Greenwald.” Accessed May 17, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Robert+Greenwald&contributor_employer=Brave+New+Films&min_date=01%2F01%2F2000&max_date=05%2F17%2F2021.