In the contemporary film landscape, filmmakers are increasingly adopting impactful strategies and integrating purposeful actions into their productions to engage and inspire audiences for positive change. Documentary filmmaking transcends mere fact-sharing to craft narratives that deeply resonate, challenge perceptions and evoke profound emotions.

This creative journey, fueled by passion and the relentless pursuit of truth, provides a unique window into the human experience. It transforms chaos into compelling stories that inform, inspire, and drive change. No production company captures this better than Warrior Films. Warrior Films is dedicated to producing transformative stories outlining best practices for sustaining healthy human culture, in the form of documentaries, books,and short films that delve into the profound world of rites of passage, spiritual warriorship, and soul-changing journeys.

The following excerpts have been taken from a conversation with Frederick Marx, the Founder of Warrior Films

Q. What was the series of events that led to the founding of Warrior Films?

“We live in dangerous times. We ask ourselves who or what is going to change things for the better. I ask myself that. And the answer that comes back loud and clear is I have to. I have to take the lead, to play my part, in making this world a better place. And it’s going to take the energy, passion, and commitment of a warrior to do it.”

I wrote those words after 9-11. That’s why I went on to found Warrior Films in 2003. In July of last year, we celebrated our 20th anniversary. At the time of the founding, I worried that those words might be hyperbole. Now, in the midst of a world seemingly falling apart, I wonder if those words are even strong enough.

Q. Why did you start a motion picture production company?

Film and television are the dominant media of our age, especially among the young. As a producer of film and TV content, my task is to feed them the truth and inspire them to reinvent the world for the better.

In the past, I’ve collaborated with other companies and had my own for-profit company. But in 2003, both for business and societal reasons, I thought it’s important to found a non-profit one. To be clear, we do produce a lot of profit from our work, but it’s social profit. It cannot be measured easily in dollars and cents. We do immeasurable good by changing the hearts and minds of people around the planet. Since we fund our work through donations, grants, and partnerships, the films are fully funded upfront. Though we work hard to create the best licensing opportunities we can, we don’t need sales to sustain us.

Q. How has Warrior Films grown since its founding? What part has innovation and the company’s innovative approach to storytelling contributed to the company’s growth?

We’ve expanded like most companies do. We’ve hired marketing directors, bookkeepers, and accountants. We’ve also hired PR firms, headhunters, development officers, and partnered with non-profit outreach organizations.

In 2003, there weren’t many non-profit production companies using media as a means for social change. Warrior Films allows films to be produced as non-profit projects and then sold in the commercial marketplace, like HOOP DREAMS. Nowadays, companies like Warrior Films are far more common.

What sets us apart is partly our track record. I am rapidly approaching 50 years of experience in the film and TV business. What also sets us apart is our commitment to capturing human transformation as it happens. We avoid using interviews and bland cutaways of people walking in and out of buildings, to focus on capturing very personal and intimate moments as they naturally occur. In a sense, we film the unfilmable — the sacred moments that most people would consider off limits. We can do this through the level of deep trust we establish with our subjects. We only ask others to do what we have already done ourselves. We involve creativity in every step of the filmmaking process to create a shared sacred space.

Q. What sets Warrior Films apart from other motion picture production companies?

The impact we aim for sets us apart. Warrior Films harnesses the power of personal stories and unleashes them as good medicine to heal society’s wounds. Sharing our human experience, both individually and collectively, is crucial for a positive future. It is through this process that our society as a whole can make the massive shift it needs to make. Warrior Films provides vehicles for people to share their stories and for others to listen to and appreciate them.

In particular, we excel at sharing stories of society’s underdogs: the poor, the young, the elderly, the disabled, LGBTQ, people of color, prisoners, veterans, women, and immigrants. Through these stories, we inform people of the cultural practices required to sustain a community. We promote rites of passage and mentorship for every human being, every community, and every institution. We educate people about mature masculinity and why it may be the single greatest necessity of our time. At Warrior Films, we express ourselves through our art, like films and books, as well as through public speaking and teaching.

Q. Can you talk about Warrior Films’ unique and innovative approach to filmmaking?

Ethics and key standards are woven into everything that we do:

• We capture stories of human transformation and inspire others to transform themselves.

• We are interdependent. Helping me, helps you.

• We change human consciousness — the way people think about things.

• We are worldwide in our reach, both in the capturing and releasing of stories.

• We strive for the universal: we are multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-religious, multi-generational, welcoming all sexual orientations, and adamantly non-political.

• We support healthy and whole communities, families, and youth.

• We stand for youth reaching mature adulthood.

• We stand for adults becoming authentic, empowered, respected individuals.

• We align with the underdogs everywhere: youth, low income, people of color, foreigners, minorities of all kinds, elderly, other abled, etc.

Q. How important is innovation for the company? What steps has the company taken to promote and nurture innovation within its team?

Our brand is transformation. Since we’re still a relatively small company, we can be light on our feet. It’s essential that innovation gets woven into every response to every new challenge that comes our way. So we practice what we preach. All the things we produce content about are also woven into our business practices, business relationships, and day-to-day operations. We’re not just governed by our legal bylaws; we adhere to a strict Policies and Values statement (available on request.)

Q. What are Warrior Films’s plans for the future?

Our new film is focused on transforming the way people think about death and dying, by showcasing a diverse range of “Living Funerals” or “Life Honoring Celebrations.” Why wait until our loved ones are dead before we say all the beautiful things about them that need to be said? Let’s change the concept of funerals and leave people with loving blessings in their hearts, knowing the positive impact they had on others’ lives: It’s YOUR Wonderful Life!

Q. Would you like us to highlight something important happening in your company that we may have missed asking about?

I will soon be launching an online course, teaching documentary filmmaking not only as a vehicle for social transformation but also for personal growth and personal transformation.

Meet the Founder

“A major talent in American filmmaking. All his work is imbued with power, intelligence, social concern, and utter dedication.” — Gerry Richman, PBS

“The Steven Spielberg of documentary filmmaking.” — Phil Tuckett, Founder, DocUtah Film Festival

Frederick Marx is the Founder of Warrior Films. Frederick, best known for HOOP DREAMS – named Best Film of the 1990s by Roger Ebert and the Best Documentary of All Time by the Intl. Documentary Association - is an acclaimed Oscar and Emmy nominated filmmaker. From convention upending experimental films to fiction features, TV mini-series and feature documentaries, Marx brings fresh formal ideas, a unique sense of humor, and an urgent empathy for the sufferings of the disadvantaged to every subject he tackles.

Frederick’s latest book Turds of Wisdom: Irreverent Real Life Stories from a Buddhist Rebel was released last year. As his mission statement demonstrates (“Bearing witness, creating change”), his voice is strong and clear, and profoundly human, focused on solutions.

“Warrior Films harnesses the power of personal stories and unleashes them as good medicine to heal society’s wounds. Sharing our human experience, both individually and collectively, is crucial for a positive future.”