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GARNER

THE BREATH THAT BREATHED A MOVEMENT

Garner examines the death of Eric Garner not as an isolated tragedy, but as a window into the systems that made it inevitable. The documentary moves beyond the specifics of one encounter to expose the interconnected forces of policing, public policy, and civic indifference that shape daily life for Black Americans. Through archival footage and critical analysis, the film reveals how practices like Stop, Question and Frisk and legal protections for state violence quietly reproduce harm. Eric Garner’s final words, “I can’t breathe,” resonate throughout the film as more than a last moment they stand as an enduring indictment of a system that continues to constrain breath, dignity, and possibility for Black communities in the United States.

THE STORY

Garner is currently in post-production, with the
team focused on editing, sound design, and
shaping the final narrative.

The project is actively fundraising to complete
the film, supporting final post-production,
delivery, and impact efforts.

Planned release efforts includes film festival
screenings and moderated talkbacks to foster
dialogue, reflection, and collective learning.

Ongoing updates and
opportunities to support the film will be shared
as the project moves toward completion.

LATEST NEWS

Garner is a feature-length, experimental documentary that interrogates the systems that made Eric Garner’s death inevitable rather than incidental. Anchored in the 2014 killing of Garner by NYPD officers captured on video and followed by global protest the film expands outward to examine policing, policy, and the normalization of state violence against Black bodies. Blending archival footage, public testimony, and reflective analysis, Garner resists a singular narrative of tragedy and instead situates Garner’s death within a broader structure of institutional power and public complicity. The film features voices from legal, cultural, political, and activist spheres, including Attorney Benjamin Crump, Reverend Al Sharpton, Tamika Mallory, Jelani Cobb, Charlamagne Tha God, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Former Mayor Eric Adams, and members of the unseen majority most impacted by these systems. Formally experimental and politically urgent, Garner asks not only what happened to Eric Garner, but what continues to allow such deaths to occur.

THE DOCUMENTARY

An Experimental Documentary Feature Film

STATUS:
POST PRODUCTION

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From the Heart Productions is a nonprofit organization that supports independent filmmakers in getting their projects funded and completed. It provides fiscal sponsorship, grants, and educational resources to help films with strong social or artistic value. The organization is best known for its Roy W. Dean Film Grants and hands-on funding guidance.

Make a tax deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor.

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