Peaceable Journey - Must-Read Guidelines: The Rules of the Road

Must-Read Guidelines: The Rules of the Road

Guidelines for holding a successful screening

If you are reading this, you are probably thinking about holding your own community screening of a Tribe of Heart film. May many lives be touched by your efforts!

The guidelines that follow were developed over more than 15 years and are based on the experiences of hundreds of people holding screenings of our films in communities all over the world. They are intended to create a welcoming and respectful environment for audience members, and to preserve the potential of our films to foster peaceful change long into the future. We invite you to contact us with your questions, suggestions or comments -- the next great idea may come from you!

Permission to hold Free Community Screenings

We encourage any motivated individual or group to hold a community screening of our films, provided all of our guidelines, detailed below, are respected and followed. Failure to adhere to any of these guidelines will be seen as a violation of the terms under which this permission is granted. More importantly, it will undermine the spirit with which this gift is being offered. So please, take the time to read each of the items below, and be sure you can agree to our requirements before proceeding with your event.

If you prefer to use a DVD for your screening, rather than streaming the film from our website, you can purchase a copy here.

Permission to hold Larger Screenings

Screenings in venues that seat 120 people or more require advance registration online (see below).

Admission

Screenings of Tribe of Heart films are intended to be offered to the public for free. Under special circumstances, admission may be charged -- for example, to cover the cost of holding an event at a larger venue -- but you must contact Tribe of Heart for permission in advance.

Educational Context

Tribe of Heart films were created, and are distributed, solely for the educational benefit of viewers. Therefore, at all screening events involving our films, we require that no solicitations for funding be made on behalf of any organization before, during or after the film. Likewise, screenings may not be used as a vehicle for membership recruitment or as part of an effort to promote a legislative initiative. To maintain a non-commercial atmosphere, corporate sponsorship of screening events is also not allowed.

Literature and Speakers at Screening Events

Out of respect for those whose stories are told in our films, no materials may be distributed at screenings promoting products of exploitation or the industries that produce them, including those bearing labels such as "humane," "organic," "cage -free," "free-range," "grass-fed" or other similar terms. This would be in direct contradiction of our films' message of holistic nonviolence, including the right of every sentient individual not to be confined, exploited, mutilated, or killed. Also in accordance with the principles of holistic nonviolence, materials promoting the use of genetic engineering in the production of food are banned from screenings of Tribe of Heart films.

Likewise, no materials may be distributed on behalf of organizations or groups that have campaigns promoting such products, or that engage in publicity efforts, initiatives, or legislative coalitions with corporations that produce them.

Finally, no speakers should be paired with our screenings who are involved with such campaigns, condone such activism, or otherwise associate themselves with such efforts as described above. For more information, see HumaneMyth.org.

Online Registration

We require that all Large Screenings (in venues seating 120 people or more) be pre-registered, using our quick and easy on-line registration form. (Note: There are no screening fees of any sort involved). You should hear back from us within a week with our approval. If not, please contact us .

Smaller screenings do not have to be pre-registered, but we appreciate knowing about them, and will do our best to publicize your event on our web site calendar and Facebook pages.

Final Say

Tribe of Heart reserves the right to deny permission to any individual or organization to publicly screen our films.

Why doesn't Tribe of Heart charge screening fees and why is the charging of admission at screenings discouraged?

Tribe of Heart is a not-for-profit organization with a small staff and modest resources. Completion of our work depends entirely on the generosity of others, in the form of grants, grassroots donations and volunteer assistance. We believe that charitable organizations like ours are the recipients of such support expressly so that we may operate as a charity, and not as a business. Such a structure gives Tribe of Heart the freedom to accomplish certain kinds of work that for-profit businesses simply cannot, and creates the opportunity to build a different kind of relationship with those who benefit from the work we produce.

The people whose stories are told in Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home and The Witness shared their personal journeys as gifts in service of the betterment of human- and animal-kind. The process of creating films based on their heartfelt testimony changed the lives of all involved, teaching us many things, and asking us to grow in ways we never expected. We believe that such rare experiences find their deepest meaning when shared freely with others, their value increasing as they are passed from person to person to person, and sometimes to whole communities.

In order to respect the spirit in which these films were made, and to safeguard their potential to transform the lives of those who see them, we ask that you join us in treating screenings of Tribe of Heart films as special opportunities for education, inspiration and community-building. As such, they are intended to be experienced in their truest form, unencumbered by any other agendas, however worthy they may be, including fundraising, membership recruitment for organizations or promotion of various campaigns.

What about copyright?

To help us honor our agreements with those from whom we have licensed copyrighted material for inclusion in our films -- many of whom donated valuable rights -- and to safeguard our ability to negotiate agreements with broadcasters and distributors, please refrain from duplicating, translating, digitizing, transmitting or broadcasting Tribe of Heart films in any media.