Last month, we interviewed Eli Yetter-Bowman, director of the new Ethics Bowl film, The Bowl. Following a team of young women from North Carolina to NHSEB nationals at UNC, the film is an excellent recruitment tool for new participants, as well as a fun way to affirm the value and benefits of Ethics Bowl. In this follow-up interview, we talk to Ava Richesin-Dodd, producer at Ethereal Films.
Where have you held screenings so far, and how is the film being received?
This past September, the film premiered during the opening night at the BEYOND Cary Film Festival. This was a surreal experience for everyone, especially the students, as this was their first time watching the completed version. The film was shot in the spring of 2023, so all of the students are now in college. Personally, I would be mortified to watch a documentary about me in high school, but all the girls are so brilliant and articulate that everyone who watched the film left impressed by their skills and moved by the program. One audience member even came up to the team afterwards and expressed how, after a hard week, watching the film really lifted their spirits. Since the premiere, various institutions have purchased a license and held internal screenings across the country. The feedback has been positive across the board. I think this story represents hope and optimism, which many people are looking for right now.
Where and when can folks see the film? Have details clarified on when it will air on PBS?
As of right now, there’s no set date for when the film will be released on PBS. We know it will be sometime this fall, though. In the meantime, students and educators can request an educational license through their school’s acquisition librarian. Their librarian can then order the film at this link. The film can be ordered for a one-time screening event or a lifetime license for Ethics Bowl recruiting and/or teaching. Additionally, every order will include an event-planning and classroom guide.
What’s been most memorable, surprising, or cool for you since The Bowl came out?
This entire project has been memorable and cool. I am so proud and lucky to have worked on this. This was notably the first documentary in which I played a leading role in editing and producing. When our director, Eli, first told me about it, I was immediately hooked, not only because I’d never heard of Ethics Bowl before, but also because the team we followed was all young women. The more I dove into the footage, the more in awe I became with the team and the clear benefits Ethics Bowl had for these students. The Ethics Bowl gave these girls the time, space, and agency to parse out difficult yet relevant issues. In watching them develop their cases and opinions, I also saw them develop confidence and trust in themselves and each other.
It’s worth mentioning that I was mostly absent for the film’s shooting, so I primarily saw and, in some sense, got to know these students by watching and editing over 30 hours of footage of them. I had almost developed a parasocial relationship with the team, so when the film finally premiered, it was a bit of a shock to see these girls in person and how much they had grown over the years. Conversely, for them, it was a bit strange to meet and talk with someone who had spent so much time watching raw footage of them in high school. (Again, I’d be mortified).
That said, it was important to me that the students felt they were portrayed in a way they could look back on with pride, rather than embarrassment. One of the girls, Cristina, came up to me afterwards and affirmed this for me. That is, by far, the most special thing that has happened to me since the film came out.
Anything else you’d like to share with EthicsBowl.org readers at this point?
Working on this film has left me deeply wishing this program had been available to me when I was in school. I genuinely think that if I had watched The Bowl as a student, I would’ve been inspired to join Ethics Bowl, or at least to try to get involved in more philosophy classes where democratic deliberation was taught and nurtured. If you’re an educator or student who is interested in showing this film, please request a copy from your library! Even if you’re not involved with Ethics Bowl, please share with any colleagues who you think would be interested. We want this film to be as accessible as possible!
