612 FILM

A Generation Awakens. A City Transforms. A Movement Begins.

 

Amid global unrest and a national reckoning with justice and identity, 612: Darkness in the Land of Nice chronicles the rise of the post-9/11 generation as they discover their collective power and ignite a movement that echoes far beyond Minnesota.

 

Set in the Twin Cities, 612 captures how local students and young people led the largest single-issue protest in modern history following the murder of George Floyd—yet their fight was never about one event alone. It was a stand against the vast inequities embedded in American life, the systemic injustices that have shaped communities for generations.

 

Shot over five years and distilled from more than 200 hours of interviews and vérité footage, the film offers an intimate, unfiltered view of a movement as it unfolded. 

 

At its heart, 612 spotlights four Minnesota-born initiatives—the Rondo Land Bridge Project, V3 Sports, The Page Education Foundation, and Black Men Teach—that provide roadmaps for communities nationwide to inspire and amplify the power of young people.

 

There is no better moment in history for Millennials and Gen Z to rise and shine.

 

Witness a blueprint for change—on the big screen.

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Change Makers and Experts:

• ​Marvin Anderson — Retired Attorney at Law and former Minnesota State Law Librarian. Board Chair, ReConnect Rondo. Executive Director, Rondo Center of Diverse Expression

• Alan Page – Retired Minnesota state Supreme Court judge. Minnesota Viking. College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

• Erika L. Binger – Founder V3.  Philanthropist. Former Chair McKnight Foundation. Former world triathlete and aquathlete champion.

• Patty Hand – Chief Operating Officer Minnesota Department of Education.

• John Gordon — Former attorney Faegre Baker Daniels, Former Executive Director American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU of MN).

• Maddie and Emma  — University of Minnesota graduate students and community organizers.

• Markus Flynn  – Executive Director at Black Men Teach.

• Henry Lake – Lake Media Group, Talk show host (WCCO, Fox, The Lake Show).

• Susan Brower – Minnesota State Demographer and Director of the Minnesota State Demographic Center.

• Toshira Garrway — Community Activist.

• Delina White – Native Apparel Designer, Jewelry Maker & Beadwork Artist, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

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Production:

• Director/Writer/Producer: Diem Van Groth

• Producer: David M. Massey 

• Executive Producer: Sarah Brokaw 

• Executive Producer: Kokayi Ampah 

• Executive Producer: Clint Schaff

• Executive Producer: Diem Van Groth

• Interview Cinematographer: Tannie Tang

• Interview Cinematographer: Alejandro Miranda

• Protest Cinematographer/Photography: Diem Van Groth

• Interview Production Designer and Art Director: Jose Herrera

• Camera:  Tersharra Hill

• Editor: Jacob Steingroot

• Composer: Norbert Gobor

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Special Thanks:​​

• Fiscal Sponsorship: International Documentary Association (IDA)

• American Film Institute (AFI)

• Story Review: Samuel D. Pollard

• Meredith Lavitt 

• Russell Greene

• Toby Shimin

• Kristen Nutile 

• Mobolaji Olambiwonnu

• Inspiration and Guidance: The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers – West

• Brandon & Lance Kramer, Meridian Hill Pictures 

• Assistant Editor: Lucia Fox-Shapiro

• Legal: Sheri Linzell, Linzell Law

• Legal Review: Lawnie Grant

• Clearing Services: Clearances640

• Accounting: Smith Mandel & Associates, LLP

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Incredible Contributors:

• Brokaw Family Foundation

• David Whitman

• Bert Cohen

• Jodi A. Niehoff

• Lexi Byler

• Jennifer Ramberg

• Joanne Dornan

• Cookie Agnew

• Paula Curtin

• Nan Newton

• Tomme Tobias