RISING
Premiering Tuesday, November 13
on the Love Has No Labels website
In the aftermath of a severe storm, a family and their diverse neighbors struggle to survive rising floodwaters and bias in the heart of America. Directed by David Nutter (Game of Thrones) and screenplay by Lena Waithe (Master of None, The Chi) and Azia Squire, Rising asks the question “why does it take a disaster to bring us together?”
Rising is presented by the Ad Council in their first ever short film as part of their iconic Love Has No Labels campaign and was created pro bono by R/GA with Great Guns. It pays tribute to real moments when people from different backgrounds have come together following natural disasters and hopes to inspire people to act inclusively every day.
The Love Has No Labels campaign first launched nationally in 2015 with a video of skeletons dancing and embracing before coming out from behind an x-ray screen to reveal themselves as diverse couples, friends and families. The original Love Has No Labels video became the first PSA to win an Emmy for Outstanding Commercial and received more than 169 million views making it the second most viewed social activism video of all time. In 2016, it was followed by “We Are America” featuring WWE® Superstar John Cena celebrating the diversity of America on Independence Day. In 2017, Love Has No Labels put a twist on the kiss cam by turning it into a symbol for unbiased love with “Fans of Love. ” In total, the campaign’s three videos have exceeded 350 million online views. The goal of the campaign has always been to elevate messages of unbiased love to promote acceptance across race, religion, gender, sexuality, ability and age. The latest film extends the campaign message further by encouraging people to take everyday actions to create a more inclusive community.
