The Holly with Julian Rubinstein & Terrance Roberts

At the heart of THE HOLLY is Terrance Roberts, an ex-member of the Bloods, who had since raised funds to open a youth center in his neighborhood, The Holly. Gang-member-turned-activist Terrance ends up shooting a man at a community event he organized focusing on non-violence. What unfolds is not black and white. The film reveals multi-level corruption in Denver's government, police force, and local media to weave narratives about gang violence in the city. THE HOLLY is the directorial debut from journalist and writer Julian Rubinstein. The film is based on his book, The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood, which was a NYTime's Book Review Editors' Choice.

In this episode, Dawn sits down with both journalist Julian Rubinstein and the film's protagonist, Terrance Roberts, to have an open conversation about what it means to participate in a documentary that is so revealing and intertwined with powerful and dangerous people, the role toxic masculinity plays in gang culture, and what we can all do to help better communities like The Holly. The conversation around who is ethically allowed to tell stories about various communities has come up in several episode of this podcast, and continues in this episode. 

The film premiered at Mountainfilm Fest where it won the Audience Choice award

TW: Discussion around gun violence. 

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