Case Study | Gathering Fire: Solidarity Through Word, Image, and Song
As part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations in New York City in November of 2025, Firelight Media hosted Gathering Fire: Solidarity Through Word, Image, and Song. This day-long program of curated conversations and performances invited guests to reimagine solidarity as an active, daily practice. Through the lens of documentary media and artistic and cultural production, we moved beyond fear-based notions of scarcity and suspicion to uncover the shared histories, dreams, and forms of resistance that bind communities of color together. We created a space to listen deeply, feel collectively, and deepen the difficult, beautiful work of becoming accountable to one another—across borders, beyond fear, toward liberation.
BROWSE THE CASE STUDY (FULL RESOLUTION)
DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY (PDF)
The event included panel discussions and performances on the hard work – and the joy – of building solidarity. Panelists and performers included:
- Aisha ‘Ish’ Al-Hurra, Poet and Artist-in-Residence, Intelligent Mischief (Performance)
- Karim Ahmad, Founder of The Utopia Studio (Solidarity Roundtable)
- Assia Boundaoui, Firelight-supported Filmmaker (The Feeling of Being Watched) (Solidarity Roundtable)
- Amy Goodman, Journalist and Host, Democracy Now! (Speaking Truth to Power)
- Athena Jones, Independent Journalist and Firelight-supported Filmmaker (Speaking Truth to Power)
- Loira Limbal, Filmmaker and President & CEO, Firelight Media (Solidarity Roundtable)
- Kristen Lovell, Filmmaker, The Stroll (Solidarity Roundtable)
- Rami Nashashibi, Executive Director, Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) (Black x Palestinian Solidarity)
- Stanley Nelson, Filmmaker and Firelight Media Co-Founder & Lead Mentor (Speaking Truth to Power)
- rashid shabazz, Firelight Media Board Chair and Executive Director, Critical Minded (Black x Palestinian Solidarity)
- Marcia Smith, Firelight Media Co-Founder (Black x Palestinian Solidarity)
- Nicole Solis-Sison, Brand Director & Producer (Solidarity Roundtable)
- Mato Wayuhi, Musician, Actor, and Composer (Performance)
Firelight Media-supported filmmaker, writer, and curator Farihah Zaman authored this Case Study with key findings and takeaways from the program, with graphic illustrations by Claud Li of ImageThink.
The Liberatory Canon | Beyond Resilience x IDA's Getting Real '20
Tuesday, September 29, 2020, presented at the International Documentary Association’s (IDA) Getting Real conference.
Beyond Inclusion | Beyond Resilience x DOC NYC
On November 17, 2020, as part of DOC NYC Live, Firelight Media presented a special edition of its Beyond Resilience Series.
Creating & Commissioning Art in Times of Crisis | Beyond Resilience x Sundance Film Festival
"On Friday, January 29 at 3pm ET, Firelight Media presented a special edition of the Beyond Resilience Series at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, “Creating & Commissioning Art In Times of Crisis.” Throughout the past year, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) artists have been commissioned by institutions to perform cultural work from their position at the epicenter of interlocking systems of oppression – racial and economic inequality, police violence, and a global pandemic that disproportionately impacts communities of color."
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy | Beyond Resilience
On Thursday, February 25 at 3pm ET, Firelight Media presented a Beyond Resilience panel discussion centered around Firelight Founder Stanley Nelson’s documentary Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy, now streaming globally on Netflix.
AAPI Artists In The Making | Beyond Resilience Virtual Screening + Q&A
On Thursday, March 25 at 3pm ET, Firelight Media presented a virtual screening and livestream Q&A centering women, non-binary, and AAPI filmmakers and artists behind IN THE MAKING, Firelight Media’s documentary short film series in partnership with PBS American Masters.
Is The Awards System Broken? | Beyond Resilience
On Friday, April 23 at 3pm ET, Firelight Media presented a virtual panel discussion about the awards system for documentary films.
More Than One Lens | Beyond Resilience x CAAMFest
On Thursday, May 20 at 5pm ET, Firelight Media and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) presented a special edition of the Beyond Resilience Series at CAAMFest 2021 – “More Than One Lens.”
The Black Joy Playlist | Beyond Resilience
On the eve of Juneteenth, and in honor of Black Music Month,Firelight Media hosted a Beyond Resilience event celebrating music documentaries by and about Black artists.
STAY CONNECTED
