Clarity never wanted to be a Black activist.

She didn’t want to become her father: Angry, frustrated, ATTACKED. Growing up biracial in a wealthy, progressive, predominantly White community there seemed little need for it. Then the national climate shifted, and ugly things started happening in her community, targeting her students and son. Had her community changed? Or was it always like that? To find out, she had to change too. Activism required.

Clarity: Search for Belonging (TRT: 85 minutes) is the story of a woman reckoning with the past of her family and community. And fighting for their future.

Background & Need

CLARITY is the story of subtle racism, its pervasive nature, and a woman living in it and trying to fight it at the same time. 

The quiet, wealthy, liberalism of Marin and California often allows the narrative of racism to seem like it isn’t here.  However, the racism in Marin is dangerous.  Black people are internalizing the aesthetics of the greatest inequity in California while White people live in unchecked ideas of supremacy.  

Marin County is a quiet, beautiful, wealthy, and very White community just north of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.  At the time of our filming, it is also the most racially inequitable county in California, according to the Advancement Project. 

White people make up 80% of the county demographics, and the overall family income averages $154,000 per household.  People of Color in Marin County are separated, by design, into small neglected pockets. The highly segregated demographics of Marin County, placed against the aesthetically stunning background give a crystal clear view into the impact of racism in real time. 

Marin County is the perfect location to study systematic racism and experiment with solutions for California, the United States, and the world.

The Story

Clarity identifies as a Black Biracial woman, which means that she lives her life on a spectrum. Her family comprises Trump voters in Utah and Black activists in Oakland.  Clarity’s blue eyes and fair skin often leave her feeling empathetic toward everyone while isolated everywhere. 

No other observational documentary has attempted to capture the unique but widespread phenomenon of quiet racism through the lens of a Black biracial woman’s lived experience. Our film is a true American story that offers us all the gift of clarity, providing a glimpse into a reality that is often hidden from view and at the same time, helping audiences of all races to better understand themselves.

Help Us Close Our Fundraising Gap and Complete the Film!

We need your help! We have raised $110,000, of our $132,000 total bare bones budget, which means we can complete the film this year, if only we can close this final gap.

Please support this project with a 100% tax-deductible donation on any of the below final categories: Original Score, Sound Mix, Color and Archival Licensing.

Our previous films have demonstrated the power of filmmaking to change public opinion. Within one year of its release, our last film, CIRCLES, held 50+ public screenings in every corner of North America, and was used to train dozens of school districts, prosecutors offices, colleges and city halls in every US region.

With CLARITY, we have set our scopes on engaging audiences in the U.S.’s 50 most liberal counties, starting with Marin. Because we believe that if we can inspire change in Marin, we can successfully combat racism everywhere. But it all starts with you.

 Sincerely,

Cassidy Friedman