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.

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 Fest community gathering
RISE Fest guests
Filming a RISE oral history
Festival audience listening outdoors

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