RACING THE REZ | FILM DOCUMENTARY

A powerful journey of transformation & hope

Racing the REZ is a documentary film based in the rugged canyon lands of Northern Arizona where Navajo and Hopi cross-country runners compete for state championship glory and a chance to win a full college scholarship. The documentary unfolds over two years of careful, patient observation and offers a rare view into the complexity and diversity of contemporary reservation life. Win or lose, what these young athletes learn in the course of their seasons will have a dramatic impact on the rest of their lives.

The filmmakers needed to create a promotional website for this documentary to help raise awareness and increase fundraising efforts aimed at awarding full college scholarships for these young, Native American student athletes.

SERVICES RENDERED

Creative Direction
Brand Identity
Website Design
Site Optimization / SEO
Social Media Integration
Web Hosting / BlueHost

Our Approach

After meeting with the client and hearing his passion for this project and these young athletes, we wanted to capture their energy and reinforce the physical and cultural aspects of their journey so the audience feels their struggle and the challenges they face and is compelled to help them reach their goals.

The web design reflects a Native American cultural feel using a rustic color palette with splashes of red for a boost of energy and set against a dramatic natural backdrop of canyons and trails. Bright, colorful images of the kids running, competing and striving for success on the reservation work to bring their journey to life.

To raise awareness and boost fundraising, we created a page that features the trailer and links to the documentary DVD so viewers can purchase it and make online donations. Along with information about the event and bios of each athlete, we added call-to-action points throughout the website to encourage people to connect directly with the filmmakers and support their cause, attend screenings, and give credit to the supporters and donors from the KickStarter campaign.

Social media integration with their FaceBook and Twitter accounts helped to promote awareness of upcoming screenings and events, and final web optimization and SEO strategy attracted visitors to the site and offered a smooth playback experience.

Visit Website

The Results

Since the launch of their new website, Racing the REZ has experienced many milestones and success. From raising over $17,000 for their KickStarter campaign, to winning Best Film Documentary in various venues, their biggest accomplishment has been to achieve recognition and opportunities for several young Native American athletes to continue their college education at Harvard and Stanford University, and even qualify for the Olympic trials in cross-country racing. The kids are truly an inspiration to us all!

Client Feedback

We appreciate all the hard work and attention to details that 4effect provided to build our website and promote our film documentary. Their creative & technical expertise helped us reach our goals to increase awareness and funding for this important cause.