I'm very proud to present the World Premiere of a Full-Featured Film, BREAK THE GAME on my Twitch — free to watch and everyone enjoy!
Monday, April 21st @ 8 PM EST
A full documentary and rare glimpse into Twitch Culture, Online Harassment & what toils come with livestreaming.
1️⃣Introduction by trihex (before film; 5min)
2️⃣BREAK THE GAME (full movie; 74 min)
3️⃣Afterparty Q/A w/ director Jane Wagner (1hr)
4️⃣Roundtable w/ other special invited Twitch Streamers (1hr+) — to engage in the dialogue of representation, mental health, and cyberbullying
The censorship of @BreakGameMovie is just the tip of the iceberg. Please read through this article to learn more about other troubling examples of PBS censoring films and supplemental content.
https://t.co/ei6yoTQWiR
If you missed our Twitch stream with @Trihex, don't worry, you can still rent or purchase Break the Game, then watch the VODs of our Q+A and panel discussion with @theserfstv and @Vahn16
https://t.co/1dMCFyz1Kz
https://t.co/63xoqsKAZu https://t.co/4wN4D95fYh
PBS also pulled the website for the film from https://t.co/M5aQ56JP1s, at least until shortly after I'd reached out for comment and the film was promptly rescheduled.
Just to clarify, does this also happen to at least one film in every season for a variety of reasons?
4/4
The film's director, @JaneMWagner, told me that POV's executive producers were explicit about the fact that her film had lost its premiere date for political reasons-- a fact they subsequently confirmed to her by email.
3/
POV's executive producers, who declined to comment for my story in The Atlantic, now suggest this was just a normal bit of rescheduling-- of the sort that happens to "at least one film every season for a variety of reasons."
2/
https://t.co/nNM0GyXKg1
So @POVdocs has asked DOCNYC to provide "broader context" for its newsletter item about PBS's decision to pull the trans-themed film BREAK THE GAME from its scheduled slot on Apr. 7.
1/
My Response to the @DOCNYCfest Monday Memo "correction"
I appreciate DOCNYC's efforts to clarify and agree, it's important to have the proper context. As stated in The Atlantic article, Break the Game was removed from the broadcast schedule with no replacement date, and deleted from the PBS website weeks before the PBS congressional hearing.
Only after a journalist from the Atlantic began asking questions was the film given a new broadcast date. However you want to phrase it, the effect is the same: PBS shelved a trans story for political reasons.
Transparency and accountability matter—especially when it comes to public media.
When BREAK THE GAME film airs tonight on my twitch, know that it does hit quite close to home. Speedrunning & Twitch have been my life for majority of my time on this planet.
I can't wait to share insight on some the impossibilities speedrunning has produced since.
Featured Guests during roundtable!
Nathan Grayson
A co-founder and reporter at @Aftermath_site, a worker-owned website about video games and the internet. He also wrote a whole book about @Twitch called Stream Big: The Triumphs And Turmoils Of Twitch And The Stars Behind The Screen
Lance of the @theserfstv
covers international news and politics on Twitch/YouTube with a focus on LGBTQ+ issues and Indigenous rights with a weakness for internet slop
"D_Girl a.k.a. D_Gurl a.k.a. Alex (dgirl.bsky)
a musician, fellow gamer, and pivotal character in the movie. She wrote the song "Margaret I'm Sorry" for the film, and her debut album "Man-Eaters" is coming out this summer.
Jane M. Wagner (@JaneMWagner)
the director, producer, and editor of Break the Game!
The schedule for tonight (all times EST)
0️⃣ 7 PM — preshow: contextualizing Twitch 10yr ago
1️⃣ 8 PM — BREAK THE GAME feature film (74min; uncensored)
2️⃣ 9:20 PM — Q/A w/ Director @JaneMWagner
3️⃣ 10 PM — Roundtable w/ @Vahn16@theserfstv D_Girl (dgirl.bsky) on cultural impacts in Twitch & Online Culture (and more!)
4️⃣ ??? — Finale Closing Thoughts from myself
Join the world premiere of acclaimed documentary full feature-film BREAK THE GAME — free to watch on my twitch ✨Tonight Only✨
8 PM EST @ ttv/trihex (link in bio)
It's a 6yr collaboration documentary bringing the most unapologetic depiction of Twitch Culture I've ever seen