Blood
Rider
Produced with The New Yorker
A documentary short about a so-called 'blood rider' risking it all to deliver blood through the gridlock traffic of Lagos.
AT-A-GLANCE
WHAT WE DID
Story Hunting
Creative Direction
Executive Producing
Production
Post Production
17 Minutes
Lagos, Nigeria
THE STORY
Amidst a severe blood shortage and the notorious traffic congestion of Lagos, Nigeria – delivering blood to patients can take up to 24 hours.
Blood Rider tells the story of Joseph, one of the city's motorcycle couriers who can deliver blood to hospitals in under an hour. For mothers in labor suffering from postpartum hemorrhage, this is often the difference between life and death.
“The overwhelming tension of blood riders racing to deliver lifesaving supplies spoke to my filmmaking ethos”
JON KASBE, DIRECTOR
PRODUCTION
Our crew spent a month embedded in a Lagos hospital, following six pregnant women and four LifeBank delivery riders on a mission to save as many lives as possible.
To convey the urgency of Joseph’s mission, the crew filmed handheld while riding backwards on motorcycles. We also spent weeks building trust with hospital staff and expectant mothers, which allowed us to film the sensitive childbirth scenes that form the heart-racing climax of the film.
RELEASE
After a festival run, the film was launched through a partnership with The New Yorker followed by a robust PR and social campaign.
Impact & Recognition
World Press
Photo
Online Video of the Year
Nominee
Vimeo Staff
Pick
Chosen
Short of the Week
Winner
Webby
Best Branded Documentary
One Show
Golden Pencil
Tribeca We Are One Festival
Screened
Cameraimage
Festival
Best Photographed Doc
Honorable Mention
CREDITS
Director
Jon Kasbe
Producer
Jon Campbell, April Hayes, Kristen Lewis
Story Producer
Mitra Bonshahi
Executive Producer
Nico Carbonaro, Michael Tabtabai, Patrick Marzullo
Cinematography
Jon Kasbe, David Bolen
Editor
Jim Hession, Jon Kasbe, Federico Conforti
Assistant Editor
Bia Jurema
Music
Nathan Halpern, Chris Ruggero
Sound
Paul Hsu
Color
Seth Ricart