Tying a Theatrical Release to On-the-ground Efforts | Pray the Devil Back to Hell |

Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country.

Thousands of women — ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim — came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war. Their actions were a critical element in bringing about an agreement during the stalled peace talks.

A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, Pray the Devil Back to Hell honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.

Working Films coordinated a massive targeted marketing campaign and audience engagement around the Pray the Devil Back to Hell theatrical release. We leveraged the shared interests and purpose of allied individuals, organizations, and foundations working on issues of restorative justice, women’s power, and peaceful resolution to violent conflict. Our goal was to seed grassroots support for the film that would extend beyond the theatrical tour. To do so, we strategically partnered with organizations and others with expertise and far reach into niche communities with whom the film resonates.

In each city, Working Films connected the film’s local release to individuals, organizations and foundations working on issues of restorative justice, women’s power, and peaceful resolution to violent conflict with the intention of heightening the engagement of theater audiences on these issues and building working relationships with those involved that would extend beyond the theatrical tour and support the long term impact of the film.

In preparation for the theatrical tour, Working Films’ led the development of a number of get the word out promotional tools. We advised Fork Films in the development of an outreach website for the film, which includes background information, high quality images, the full theatrical schedule, and press materials. We also led the creation of an outreach section (www.praythedevilbacktohell.com/outreachtools) to assist the organizations hosting events and those participating in get the word out efforts. The section includes the following downloadable resources and publicity materials used by hosts during the theatrical release:

o    Q&A Guide offering information on the logistics, how to maximize efforts to spread the word, and tips on facilitating an action oriented session
o    Template Flyers
o    Template e-blasts
o    Flyers that include special screening information
o    Badges for websites, blogs, and social network pages
o    A screening headquarters webpage

In less than 10 days after the development of these tools, we reached around fifty thousand individuals with news of the upcoming theatrical release. We were able to reach a broad, yet strategic audience through the networks of our allied organizations who found it easy to plug our language and content into their mass email tools.

Working Films was committed to enhancing the audience experience in each city, and tied every screening to the on-the-ground efforts of organizations working to address issues related to the film. In the process, we established and strengthened relationships with key stakeholders, securing opportunities to create new allies for the upcoming international campaign with the film. We offered ongoing assistance, coordination, and support for hosts and allied organizations that participated in advertising the film’s theatrical release. Along the tour, we worked with organizations to highlight and promote participation in their work related to the film’s themes. These “host” organizations included Advocates for Human Rights, African Refuge, Amnesty International, the Andrus Family Fund, CHF International, CODEPINK, the Global Fund for Women, the International Museum of Women, Mom’s Rising, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the Society for International Development, Step Up Women’s Network, the Women in Public Policy Program of the Harvard Kennedy School, White House Project, and the US National Committee for UNIFEM.

Mainstream box office reports and data indicate that tickets sales rose as a result of these hosted screenings. The five largest grossing weekends of the theatrical release within the span of our commitment took place on the dates that Working Films participated in organizing theatrical events with the film in collaboration with NGO’s working to advance the issues the film raises.