Elders sharing their stories on stage at a RISE event
RISE ATX

RISE

The story

RISE began as a documentary about Austin's Black history and grew into a full heritage preservation initiative. We partnered with researchers, reached out to descendants and local historians, and dug into archives to recover stories that had been overlooked.

Alongside the feature documentary, we recorded video oral histories, hosted community screenings, and created RISE Fest, an annual festival honoring Austin's Black freedom communities.

Today, RISE continues as RISE ATX, a heritage preservation organization. Visit RISE ATX ↗

What we did

  • Archival and historical research
  • Descendant and historian outreach
  • Video oral histories
  • Feature documentary
  • Community screenings
  • RISE Fest, an annual heritage festival
RISE community members RISE Fest guests Filming a RISE oral history RISE Fest audience RISE Fest RISE oral history interview RISE Fest RISE oral history interview
Festival audience listening outdoors

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