Big Year Productions, inc was established by Vanessa Roth in 1994 to produce social issue documentaries and outreach programs that empower children and families while challenging systems and promoting progressive social change. To produce the most powerful and effective work possible, each project depends on strong collaborations through every stage of development, production, outreach and distribution.  These partnerships include teaming up with the very best filmmakers and storytellers, to experts and organizations who have years of research and practice behind them, to the subjects in our films who are the voices and true experts of each project. Big Year Productions' award winning and critically acclaimed films have screened at hundreds of film festivals and broadcast on PBS, HBO, the Discovery Channel, A&E, and the Sundance Channel. Each project is the centerpiece of national outreach and used by policy makers and in universities across the country as training for lawyers, social workers, journalists, and filmmakers.

Vanessa Roth (Writer/ Producer/Director) has received top honors and awards for her work, including an Academy Award and an Alfred I Dupont-Columbia.  While making films, Vanessa is a frequent guest lecturer on empowering young people to tell their stories and on the ethical issues raised in making social media.  She most recently appeared with the young people from her film The Third Monday in October as part of the Youth Inaugural Events in Washington D.C. Vanessa holds a master's degree in social work and a minor in family law from Columbia University; she has also worked as a child advocate in courts and schools in New York and Los Angeles.


Our Website
We are currently updating our website to give you more information about each of our projects and how you can get involved in the issues you care about.  While we are doing this update you can find our films on the links below.  Thank you for your interest in our work!


Our Films and Outreach

Freeheld (2008 Academy Award Winner for best documentary short) info and purchase.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2008 Educational Bill of Rights for International summit) view.

The Third Monday in October (2007 fest award winner/Sundance Channel Premiere/ Special Selection of Youth Inaugural events) info and purchase.

9/ 11 Toxic Dust (2007 A&E Special Programming for 9/11 tribute) info.

Aging Out (2004 PBS Prime Time Special, Cine Golden Eagle winner) info and purchase.

Schools of the 21st Century (2004 Project of Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation) view.

Close to Home (2002 Sundance Premiere, appeared on Oprah, Discovery) purchase.

Taken In: The Lives of America's Foster Children (1998 PBS Prime Time Special, Dupont-Columbia Award winner) info and purchase.

Work in Progress

No Tomorrow  - info.

The Teacher Salary Project  - info and get involved.

contact us at:
info@bigyearprods.com