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Population Media Center AND Level Forward Announce Groundbreaking Short Film Series, “MOTHER JUSTICE”
Population Media Center (PMC), the Emmy-nominated global leader in entertainment for social impact, is excited to partner with Level Forward, an Oscar-nominated public benefit entertainment company, on a new film series called Mother Justice. The partners announced the film series at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The series of narrative short films addresses Black maternal health in the United States in powerful and unique ways, featuring diverse perspectives and solutions.
Black women in the U.S. are 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women — and the disparity persists across income and education levels. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, more than 80 percent of these maternal deaths are preventable. Mother Justice aims to address this crisis through the power of storytelling.
“Fictional stories have a unique power to invite audiences in, open imaginations, provide role models, spark dialogue, and change minds,” said Margot Fahnestock, CEO of Population Media Center.
“The stories we tell ourselves and each other shape what we believe is normal and what we believe is possible. With Mother Justice, we’re partnering with Level Forward to harness that power to create narrative change around Black maternal health.”
A Partnership Built for Impact
Mother Justice is powered by a partnership that brings together two organizations with deeply complementary expertise — each a leader in its field, and together uniquely equipped to turn storytelling into measurable social change.
PMC is a global leader in using entertainment to drive social and behavioral change. With award-winning series broadcast in the U.S. and more than 50 countries, PMC has spent decades refining a storytelling methodology that begins with community-centered formative research, applies behavioral and social cognitive theory to narrative design, helps the audience bridge the fiction to real-life action, and follows through with rigorous impact evaluation. PMC grounds stories in the real lives of the community and measures whether those stories create change.
Level Forward is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy, Tony, and Anthem Award-winning public benefit entertainment company with a track record of producing bold, critically acclaimed work and accounts for how that work impacts people. Known for works including The Assistant; Red, White and Blue; Mountains; Oklahoma!; and Suffs, Level Forward brings world-class production expertise, an eye for exceptional emerging talent, and deep experience in designing dissemination strategies that reach the right audiences.
What makes this partnership so powerful is not just what each organization brings individually — it is how those capabilities interlock. PMC’s research and the thoughtful exploration of stories and creative teams ensuresthe films are rooted in evidence and lived experience. Level Forward’s production expertise ensures those insights are translated into compelling, high-quality cinema. PMC’s and Level Forward’s combined expertiseshapes the ancillary content – all with the goal of creating intentional forms of impact. Community partnerships with nonprofits, service providers, community-based organizations, individuals and more extend the stories into audiences’ real lives. Level Forward’s dissemination expertise ensures those stories and resources reach the people who need them most. And PMC’s evaluation framework closes the loop, generating evidence about what works that can inform future projects and advance the broader field of entertainment-education.
“There are infinite stories of Black mothering experiences, and we need to tell more of them. To imagine what’s possible, to dream the utopia, and to envision the world we want. When Black mothers are valued, all mothers are valued. These films are created from that spirit,” said Adrienne Becker, CEO, Level Forward.
Together, PMC, Level Forward, and the extended creative and community teams are modeling what it looks like when social science and creative excellence work in true partnership — not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of every decision from the earliest stages of research through production, release, and beyond.
The Films
Mother Justice currently comprises five fictional short films, with the potential to expand to six. Three films have been confirmed:
- Colors We Made — Written and directed by Iiritu (Amanda Morell), with executive producer Bruce McIntyre III and producer Flor De Oro Tejada. A sci-fi love story in which a grieving man named Jace embarks on a transformative road trip with two supportive friends, seeking solace as he confronts the loss of his past lover.
- Cliff & Clara & Her Baby — Written and directed by Lauren Whitehead, with producer Aderemi Abioye. A romantic comedy set in Brooklyn in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter uprising, following an interracial couple on the verge of having a baby who must confront their feelings about becoming parents.
- Smile, Roxy! — Written and directed by Ama Anane. A dramatic rom-com about two Black lesbians navigating the IVF process, testing their relationship, bodies, and beliefs about motherhood in a world not built for them.
About Population Media Center
Population Media Center (PMC) is an Emmy-nominated global nonprofit that arms storytellers with evidence-based insights to reshape what audiences see, believe, and carry forward about women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights. Focused on narrative change, PMC’s award-winning series have been broadcast in the U.S. and more than 50 countries, opening eyes, minds, and dialogues to reinforce women and girls’ dignity, autonomy, and agency. Learn more at populationmedia.org.
About Level Forward
Level Forward is an Oscar-nominated, Tony, Emmy, and Anthem Award-winning public benefit entertainment company pioneering impact producing in narrative film, theater, and beyond. The company centers equity, narrative power, and measurable results. Select works include Olive Nwosu’s Lady, Björk’s Cornucopia, Monica Sorelle’s Spirit Award-winning Mountains, Nazrin Choudhury’s Oscar-nominated Red, White and Blue, and Broadway productions including Suffs, Oklahoma!, and Good Night, and Good Luck. Learn more at levelforward.co.
