Bully (2011 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bully
Official theatrical release film poster of Bully
Directed by	Lee Hirsch
Produced by	Sarah Foudy Lee Hirsch Cynthia Lowen Cindy Waitt
Written by	Cynthia Lowen Lee Hirsch
Music by	Bishop Allen Michael Furjanic
Cinematography	Lee Hirsch
Editing by	Jenny Golden Lindsay Utz
Studio	Cinereach Where We Live Films
Distributed by	The Weinstein Company
Release date(s)	April 23, 2011 (2011-04-23) (Tribeca Film Festival) March 30, 2012 (2012-03-30) (United States)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.1 million
Money made	$3.6 million

Bully (originally titled The Bully Project) is a 2011 American documentary drama film directed and co-produced by Lee Hirsch and co-produced and written by Cynthia Lowen along with producers Cindy Waitt and Sarah Foudy. The film follows the lives of five students who face bullying on a daily basis in U.S. schools and premiered at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. It was also screened at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and the LA Film Festival.

Bully had its global premiere at Italy's Ischia Film Festival on July 17, 2011. Bully was acquired by The Weinstein Company immediately after its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film was released in United States theaters on March 30, 2012.

On the official website, the filmmakers are promoting Bully as an important advocacy tool against bullying and in facilitating an anti-bullying movement. Contrary to the filmmaker's goals, the film suffered from a lack of accessibility in theatres due to controversy surrounding its MPAA rating and from an extended downtime between theatre and home release. The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 12, 2013 only with the PG-13 rated version.

Content

The documentary follows students from public schools in Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma during the 2009–10 school year; it also follows the students' families. The film describes in great detail how the average American student cannot defend himself or herself against ridicule.

Cast

• Ja'Meya Jackson
• Kelby Johnson
• Lona Johnson
• Bob Johnson
• Alex Libby
• Jackie Libby
• Philip Libby
• Maya Libby
• Jada Libby
• Ethan Libby
• Logan Libby
• Kim Lockwood
• David Long
• Tina Long
• Teryn Long
• Troy Long
• Devon Matthews
• Barbara Primer
• Kirk Smalley
• Laura Smalley
• Trey Wallace
• Tyler Lee Long (archive footage)
• Mercedes Banks
• Dean Donehoo
• Vickie Reed
• Jeff Johnson
• Howard Ensley
• Derek Parker
• Chloe Albright
• James Ramsey
• Paula Crandall

Soundtrack

Release

Bully had its global premiere at Italy's Ischia Film Festival on July 17, 2011. Bully was acquired by The Weinstein Company immediately after its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film was released in United States theaters on March 30, 2012. The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 12, 2013 only with the PG-13 rated version.

Production

The film's director, Lee Hirsch was a victim of bullying as a child and decided to make a documentary so that the hidden lives of bullied children would be brought into the open. He approached the nonprofit organization Fractured Atlas, which gave him partial funding for the film. Significant additional funding was provided by Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, The Fledgling Fund, BeCause Foundation and Gravity Films. The film's music was composed by Ion Michael Furjanic (former member of the band Force Theory) and indie band Bishop Allen.

In a screening in Minneapolis in September 2011, Hirsch told the audience that his having been bullied as a child was part of the inspiration for the film. In an interview with a Twin Cities news website after the screening, Hirsch continued, "I felt that the hardest part of being bullied was communicating, and getting help. I couldn’t enroll people’s support. People would say things like 'get over it,' even my own father and mother. They weren't with me. That was a big part of my wanting to make the film. It's cathartic on a daily basis." Hirsch said he hoped the film grows far beyond him, inspiring advocacy, engagement, and empowerment not just in people who are being bullied and in their families, but by those of us who all too often stand by and do nothing. He stated, "I hope we build something that’s really sustainable. I hope this takes on a life of its own."

Awards and accolades

See also

In Spanish: Bully (película de 2011) para niños