RATIFIED: Powerful ERA Documentary Makes Festival and PBS Debut

Editor Nathan Bowhall & Producer Meagan Massa assist acclaimed Director Deborah Riley Draper with “Ratified” doc about Equal Rights Amendment

Behind the Scenes of Crafting RATIFIED

After eight years of work and the dedication of many talented filmmakers, on August 25th the feature documentary film RATIFIED made its world premiere at the 15th annual Bronze Lens Film Festival. RATIFIED tells the story of the 100-year struggle for constitutional gender equality through the eyes of the multi-racial, multi-generational, bi-partisan activists who made Virginia the 38th and final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Co-director Sabaah Folayan (along with co-creator Emily Best, producer Megan Goedewaagen and cinematographer Eve Cohen) began following the story in Virginia in 2018, forging vital connections with leaders of the gender equality movement, and filming over multiple years to document their perseverance in the face of stifling political bureaucracy.

Behind the scenes, the post production process took a similarly committed team. In April of this year, co-director Deborah Riley Draper tapped Chorus Films partner/editor Nathan Bowhall with the aggressive-but-not-impossible goal of a summer delivery. Using her expertise in blending contextual archival elements with verité footage and interviews, Deborah worked with Nathan to build upon the cuts of two previous editors to craft a galvanizing, character-driven documentary that centers the voices of Black women leaders. The accelerated post production timeline required the work of many: Nathan brought in Chorus Films partner Meagan Massa to pull archival and storytelling elements; Jim Bowhall of Magick Lantern added style with opening titles, graphics and animations; and Moonshine Post brought the film over the finish line with audio mix, color correction and online conform.

Now that RATIFIED is (finally!) finished, the film’s producers have set their sights on a new goal – audiences. Through festival screenings and private viewings, the film’s impact campaign seeks to activate 15 million Americans on the issue of gender equality, and the recent premiere at the Bronze Lens Film Festival is just the start. To learn more about RATIFIED and find a screening near you, visit ratifythefilm.com.

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