"The American Revolution" is a feature-length documentary film for festival, theatrical, and broadcast release. Long before Facebook and MySpace, free-form, underground radio was a powerful social, political and cultural medium. "The American Revolution" chronicles WBCN-FM in Boston from 1968 to 1974, as the station covered and promoted the era's profound cultural, social and political changes.

Engagement Goals:
"The American Revolution" will show a new generation of young people, how, in the late-1960s and early-1970s, powerful social change was facilitated through the convergence of media, politics and culture, creating a movement that helped end a war and drove two unpopular sitting presidents from office.

The story of "The American Revolution" is particularly important at a time when young people, and the public in general, report a growing sense of disconnection from the media, and a decaying of the role that the media plays in serving as a watchdog of government and providing a platform for social criticism and change.

The production will present the dramatic sights and sounds of the era, combined with compelling and engaging first-person accounts and never-before heard stories.

The film is designed to be the first "open source" documentary, as part of its core mission, as members of the public are being asked to lend their photos, audio tapes, film, memorabilia, and first-person accounts from that era, both from Boston and nationally. By doing so, the process of creating the documentary, like the radio station itself, is a collaborative effort between producers and viewers.

Suggested Engagement Activities:
Community/Educational Event, Develop A Broadcast, Listening Session/Community Conversations, Online Engagement, Other, Screening & Discussion Session