Documentary feature (PRIME VIDEO)
The First Step
ABOUT THE FILM
In a divided America, progressive activist and political commentator Van Jones controversially works across party lines on landmark criminal justice reform and a more humane response to the addiction crisis. Attempting to be a bridge builder in a time of extreme polarization takes Van and a coalition of unlikely allies deep into the inner workings of a divisive administration, internal debates within both parties, and the lives of frontline activists fighting for their communities.
CREDITS
Directed by Brandon Kramer
Produced by Lance Kramer
Edited by Natasha Livia Mottola, Steven J. Golliday, Sara Fusco, Leslie Simmer
See full credits on IMDB
Executive Producers: Abigail E. Disney, Reginal K. Scully, Robert F. Smith, Deon & Roxanne Taylor, Brad Buhr & Bryanna Sapp, Christina & David Arquette, Daniel S. Loeb, Jana Carter
Produced by Meridian Hill Pictures and Magic Labs Media in association with Kartemquin Films (Minding The Gap), Big Mouth Productions (Dick Johnson is Dead) and Hidden Empire Film Group (Black & Blue)
ACCOLADES
“TACTFUL…COMPELLING…HUMAN”
— Natalia Winkelman, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Captures something rare in documentaries: the messy business of finding bipartisan solutions in a hyper-polarized country.”
— Richard Harris, LOS ANGELES TIMES
“A wide-ranging and thoughtful documentary.”
— Adrian Horton, THE GUARDIAN
“The Kramer brothers are D.C. documentarians attuned to the guts of the policy-making process”
— Kathy Gilsinan, POLITICO
“Riveting…an illuminating look at how real change occurs in these divisive times.”
— Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
