Drawn Together: Comics, Diversity and Stereotypes

Drawn Together challenges racism and biases through cartoons, comics and cosplay.
by
Year Released
2018
Film Length(s)
52 mins
Remote video URL

Introduction

Drawn Together traces the fascinating journey of three comic creators who challenge the notion of race, appearance, and gender stereotypes through cartoons, comics and cosplay.

* Selected in over 52 International Film Festivals

* Winner of 9 major awards including "BEST Documentary", "Freedom Award" and "Jason D Mak award for Social Justice"

Featured review

The film engages the audience in a way that opens us up for leaning into critical dialogues around identity. A must see and valuable resource for any educational setting
Dr. Mary Bonderoff
Chief Diversity Officer SUNY Morrisville

Synopsis

With a lively backdrop of superheroes, comic books, and animated comics, Drawn Together: Comics, Diversity and Stereotypes brings together three talented artists—a Sikh, a woman, and an African American—who are challenging the racist stereotyping currently endemic in America through their work.

The documentary provides the rare opportunity to explore the subjects of race, gender, and religion stereotyping through the universally popular medium of comic books and cartoons. Drawn Together boldly encourages viewers to unlearn stereotyping, look beyond the obvious, and confront media prejudices—all through an uncommon and inherently engaging everyday source.

Expert commentary is provided by Professor Arvind Singhal, world renowned expert in entertainment education; Andrew Farago, the curator of San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum; and Adam Elrashidi, a cartoonist and a producer at Al Jazeera. They share their thoughts on how to solve the problem of racist stereotyping through changing the stories being told and discuss how the three profiled artists have brought about a groundswell movement to combat the way we traditionally look at racist stereotypes.

Reviews

This is a wonderful way to approach civil rights, accepting diversity, and engaging humanity in such a unique way
Terry Cherry
President National Council for the Social Studies
thoughtful, insightful and captivating ...
Michael Poryes. Screenwriter
Creator and Executive Producer Hanna Montana
themes are appropriate for fifth grade through college. Many K-12 schools are working on breaking down diversity, stereotypes, addressing bullying. The personal journeys of the artists is engaging and the imagery and messaging of the comics is appropriate for those levels.
Dr. Becki Cohn-Vargas
Ex preschool director in Healdsburg, teacher and principal in the Oakland Unified School District, Elementary Curriculum Director for the Palo Alto Unified School District and Superintendent of the Luther Burbank School District.
…groundbreaking work ..great message
NBC Bay Area
NBC Bay Area
brilliant, important, and amazing
Nicole Ranganath
Ph.D, Historian & Asst Adj Professor Middle East/South Asia Studies , UC Davis
This documentary challenges us all to look at stereotypes and prejudices through a serious study of cartoons from a diversity lens. It is a good example of united we stand but divided we fall
Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia
Trustee, Parliament of the World’s Religions
the subject matter is so relevant and pertinent to these times we're in, it was a breath of fresh air
Nevin Millan
Actor and Producer
Drawn Together imagines a future where inclusion is the status quo…
Nomi Kane Artist at Schulz Studio
Illustrator, designer, and cartoonist.
It is powerful, in my opinion, because it takes a creative approach to conversations around race and difference. ... aligned with the Social Justice Initiative ...not directly confrontational. Instead, it is compassionate.
Lucía Durá
PhD Assistant Professor & Program Director Rhetoric & Writing Studies English Department, UTEP
Beautifully strung other--aesthetically! Kudos on narrative flow, shot selection, sequencing, visuals and animations, edits, phenomenal music score! The protagonists and their work is humanized in a container of art and expression, justice and diversity, peace and understanding! Surgically-culled, pithy commentaries that elevate and add value to the narrative arc!
Arvind Singhal
Ph.D Marston Endowed Professor Dept of Communication The Univ of Texas at El Paso
I could see this film working in a variety of classes, as a way to start having conversations about difficult topics and issues.
Christopher Murray
Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda (Montgomery County), Maryland
incisively showing the absurdity of racism and stereotypes using comic strip characters. It is good to see people from minority communities as the good guys.
Indarjit. Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE
D Litt.
Good work— it was fun to watch and your use of animations for the animations was very effective and well executed
Sharat Raju
Director Scandal
This film is great. It touches upon so many of the ideas and issues surrounding community and diversity that we want our students to think about. It also inspires the habits of the heart that we wish to inculcate in them. What's more, it does so in a real, relevant, fun, and visceral way you don't necessarily get from dry, classroom lecture and discussion. It's a great teaching tool.
Jacob Root
Literature Coordinator, Grace Church School
....inspirational stories of real-life heroes who have risen against all odds.
Reena Rathore
India West
...comics aren't just a way to escape reality and look up to our favorite superheroes— they're a way to break stereotypes and create a conversation around the importance of diversity and representation in media and popular culture.
Brown Girl Magazine
Brown Girl Magazine
Captivating
Prof. I J Singh
NYU
This will be a winner.
Kamal Gianchandani
CEO, PVR Pictures
A provocative film about popular culture, storytelling and representation that profiles artists at the forefront of a sea change in the graphic-novel and comic-book industries expanding conventional definitions and boundaries of what constitute a 'Superhero' in American today.
Harjant Gill
Anthropologist & Filmmaker, Towson University
talks of a very sensitive topic in a very non threatening way, touching a cord, provoking thoughts and opening dialogues.One of the biggest challenge of diversity and inclusion is to be able to have a dialogue that touches and moves people to get the other's perspective without getting into any blame game or triggering the need to defend in some and thats what the film addresses
Madhusree Dasgupta
Leadership Facilitator and Coach
I loved it. I really like the interwoven stories of the three cartoonists who break down stereotypes and build awareness through their comic strip characters. This film is a unique tool for teaching tolerance in the classroom, and i plan to use it in my own classes." Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research ScholarAssociate Professora
Indira S. Somani
Ph.D., Associate Professor , Dept. of Media, Journalism and Film, Howard University

Awards and Screenings

Winner - Best Documentary , People of Passion International Film Festival , Australia, 2019
Winner - Judges Choice Award, Holden Village Film Festival , 2019
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Indiana Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
Super Geek Film Festival, 2018
DocuWest Documentary Film Festival, 2018
Peninsula Libraries Comic Arts Fest, 2019
UC Davis South Asia Film Festival, 2019
San Francisco Comic Con Film Festival, 2018
HAAPI Film Festival, 2018
Marda Loop Justice Film Festival, 2018
Seattle Asian American Film Festival, 2019
Over the Rhine International Film Festival, 2019

Director Commentary

As a woman, as a brown woman and as a brown mom I was stereotyped at various levels. Some blatant, others hidden. I always wanted to make a film on this subject of stereotyping, but instead of just showcasing a problem, I wanted to showcase solutions. The concept of the film started to develop when I heard Eileen’s story whom I had recently befriended. Eileen’s struggles with gender stereotyping felt familiar, and I was instantly drawn to her story as a creator of action-based comics -a field which has only a handful of woman in creative roles. What drew me in more was comics and how their universality could connect with people across the board.

What struck me about Keith was his easy going, sweet and gregarious nature. His work had the power to make me smile, think, and react all at the same time. While he spoke about everyday happenings and of African-Americans, it was very relatable as a person of color. The impact that his work was having was great and I wanted to capture that on cinematic lens.

Vish came across as a person who was unafraid of being stared at. He wanted to have a conversation with people so that maybe one person out there can change their perception of stereotyping or just how a superhero should look.

While all three of them looked diverse at first, there was a connecting thread that bound them and that thread drew me to creating this documentary. I spent 3 years with these artists and I am grateful, above all, to have found marvelous friends. Like many others who have been inspired by their work to do more to challenge stereotyping, I have become more focused and fearless and am ready to do my bit to showcase their story and start a conversation on embracing diversity and how we are all drawn together.

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

Opens in new window