Robert Rippberger

Robert Rippberger
Born	(1988-09-07) September 7, 1988 (age 33) Boulder, Colorado
Nationality	American
Education	University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Film director, film producer, and screenwriter
Years active	2006–present
Website	robertrippberger.com

Robert Rippberger (born September 7, 1988) is an American film director and film producer. He is the director/producer of Strive with Danny Glover and the Hulu released documentary 7 Days in Syria.^[1][2] Robert executive produced with Jason Blum the feature documentary Alive and Kicking.^[3][4] The film was sold to Magnolia Pictures and Netflix after its debut at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival, where it received a Grand Jury nomination.^[5]

Narrative Work[]

In 2021, Rippberger wrote and directed the high concept horror feature about male victims of sexual assault, starring Booboo Stewart.^[6]

Rippberger is the director of the 2019 drama Strive, about a girl from the projects in Harlem who works to attend Yale.^[7] Inspired by true stories, Strive stars Grammy-nominated JoiStaRR, Shaylin Becton, Ricky Flowers Jr, Chelsea Lee Williams, and Emmy-nominated Danny Glover, with music composed by Grammy-winning producer Warryn Campbell.^[8][9]

Rippberger is currently in pre-production as the producer of , a stop-motion feature film written and directed by Jim Capobianco, the Oscar-nominated writer of Pixar's Ratatouille.^[10]

Documentary[]

In 2019, Rippberger directed and produced Public Enemy Number One (film) -- a documentary about America's war on drugs from Executive Producer Ice-T. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the Seattle Film Festival,^[11] and Storyteller Award and Best Producer at Doc LA - Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival.^[12]

In 2016, Rippberger's feature documentary 7 Days in Syria, which follows journalist Janine di Giovanni's 2012 trip to Aleppo, was screened at Britain's House of Lords.^[13] The film has played in over 50 cities worldwide, on television in Denmark, Sweden, and China, and via streaming service Hulu.^[14] The documentary is currently available via Amazon Prime and other VOD providers. The film was well received by critics and personally championed by United Nations Special Envoy Angelina Jolie.^[15]

Rippberger went on to executive produce Alive and Kicking, a documentary about swing dancing, which premiered at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival to a Grand Jury nomination, and was released in 2017 by Magnolia Pictures. Alive and Kicking was named the film to watch by The New York Times watching section, received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was invited to be part of the 2018/19 American Film Showcase, the State Department's diplomacy through cinema program.^[16][17] The film is currently available on Netflix.

In 2011, Rippberger co-created a seven part documentary series published by The New York Times interviewing politicians and world leaders regarding the world's biggest crises.^[18] He was the 2012 recipient of the Dan Eldon Activist Award for producing and directing A Ride With Matt, later retitled Breaking the Cycle, a documentary feature about Huntington's Disease. The award is given to filmmakers for best use of media to effect positive change.^[19]

Rippberger is the previous president of I Imagine, a socially conscious technology and media organization which runs the annual I Imagine Film Festival and conference. He is also the co-founder and editor of the magazine and podcast Cinema of Change, whose mission is to create a central, continuously relevant source of accessible information on social impact filmmaking.^[20]

Music Videos[]

In 2014, Rippberger directed the music video Ab Laut Aa by EDM DJ Sanjoy featuring Sunidhi Chauhan.^[21] The video has 1.5 million views on YouTube and won Best Music Video that year at the VIMA Music Awards.^[22][23]

Thirty years after the song's initial release, in 2018 Rippberger directed the official music video for “Suicide” by Busy Bee Starski, the single off his gold album Running Thangs. Originating from New York City, Hip Hop Hall of Fame inductee Busy Bee Starski is considered one of the founders of modern hip-hop, and the star of the 1983 film Wild Style, billed as the first hip-hop motion picture.^[24] The music video guest stars rapper Ice-T.

Writing[]

In 2014, Rippberger published a novel with Regent Press called Escape to Anywhere Else with a foreword by Mariel Hemingway.^[25][26] Robert is the co-founder and co-editor of the magazine, Cinema of Change, along with Tobias Deml. He is a contributing writer to The Huffington Post.^[27][28]

Early life[]

Rippberger began filmmaking at age 13. As a freshman in high school, he enrolled in filmmaking classes at the University of Colorado Boulder, studied under directing teacher Judith Weston, and at UCLA Film School in Los Angeles. In 2005, at age 16, he made his first feature film, "The Hoodwink."

Rippberger received a B.A. in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010, where he was awarded in 2009 the Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prize for his film "In the Middle." It is considered the highest achievement in creativity given on the UC, Berkeley campus.^[29]

In 2006, Rippberger founded Aletheia Films, named after Aletheia (a philosophical concept in philosophy reflecting a disclosing of truth) with a view to make entertaining and impactful films for mass audiences. The company produces feature films, series, documentaries, commercials, music videos, and major events.^[30]

Filmography[]

Features[]

• The Hoodwink (2006)
• Visions for the Future (2013)
• Breaking the Cycle (2013)
• Face of Unity: Nelson Mandela (2014)
• 7 Days in Syria (2015)
• Alive and Kicking (2016) (executive producer)^[31]
• Strive (2019)^[32]
• Public Enemy Number One (2020)
• Those Who Walk Away (2021)

Shorts[]

• "Grave" (2004)
• "R.I.P." (2005)
• "In the Middle" (2009)
• "Noor (2011)" (co-director)
• "Haven (2011)"
• "ThinkingAloud" (2011)
• "A Night at the Office" (2012) (co-producer)
• "" (2021)

Music videos[]

• "Ab Laut Aa" by Sanjoy featuring Sunidhi Chauhan (2013)^[33]
• "Set Me Free" by Sanjoy (2014)^[34]
• "Suicide" by Busy Bee Starski (2018)^[35]

Awards and nominations[]

References[]

External links[]

• Robert Rippberger at IMDb
• Robert Rippberger website
• The Huffington Post
• 7 Days in Syria documentary film website
• Cinema of Change website