#011 Filmmaker Marc Smolowitz talks about The G Word Film

Today I’m speaking with filmmaker Marc Smolowitz about his upcoming documentary, The G Word Film. The film is currently in post-production with an expected release date in early 2022. The G Word Film is the first major documentary on giftedness and asks the question, Who Gets to be Gifted In America? The shorts released so far describe a scenario that is seen globally. In the episode you’ll hear: The journey from idea to reality and how it all started. Marc’s journey with giftedness and activism. Giftedness as identity. Gifted trauma. The G Word is more than just a film – it’s making an IMPACT! How to get involved #mygiftedstory Hit play and let’s get started! Memorable Quotes “When I looked out into the world, I saw that there hadn't really been a significant documentary that was ever made or publicly or widely released on this topic. So that immediately piques my interest because if no one's ever done it, maybe I could be the first to do it.” – Marc Smolowitz “One of the kind of beliefs of this movie is that giftedness is like an identity. And then it functions in very similar ways. You can either be empowered or it can be traumatic, and that there's a sort of a continuum that the child experiences around that journey with perceiving themselves as smart or  not right.” – Marc Smolowitz “I want this movie to be one of the most significant education documentaries of this decade of the 2020s.” – Marc Smolowitz “There's all these assumptions of a high achieving gifted person. And we know that exists. We know there are just really freaking smart people out there.  The G Word is going to show you people who you're going to expect, who are rightly have obviously at the table, but because of different complex aspects of who they are and where they were raised.” – Marc Smolowitz “When we first launched in 2016, we immediately, out the gate, were hearing from people all over the world. I would say, from Switzerland to Singapore, we were getting emails and these emails were often quite chilling, because they would be from parents who are struggling. “– Marc Smolowitz Resources The G Word Film #MyGiftedStory Learn more about Marc's work Marc's IMDB page Subscribe & Review If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about your biggest takeaway in the comments. For more episodes, you can subscribe and to help others find our podcast please leave a review. You can find show notes and more resources at www.ourgiftedkids.com See you in the same place next week. Connect Connect with me on LinkedIn Instagram & Facebook! Marc Smolowitz Bio Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning independent filmmaker based in San Francisco. With three decades of experience in the film and media business, Smolowitz is a director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films wearing many hats across the entertainment industry. The combined footprint of his works has touched 200+ film festivals and markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His long list of credits includes films that have screened at top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Chicago, Palm Springs, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Krakow, Jerusalem, among others. His film company -- 13th Gen -- works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. Founded in 2009, the company is known widely for being active on some 10-15 concurrent projects, both independent and inside Hollywood, and it has successfully advanced Smolowitz's career-long focus on powerful social issue films and filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious IFP Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival’s Producers Network and Marche du Film marking him as one of USA’s most influential independent film producers. Join in the social media campaign! #MyGiftedStory