A documentary film
Raised by Wolves
Directed by Dana Coester
A community confronts the online and real world influences drawing a generation of Appalachian youth toward far right extremism
About the film
The feral boys of the internet
Raised By Wolves peers into online youth culture in Appalachia, revealing the risks of radicalization through exposure to weaponized misinformation and far right extremism in social media and online gaming spaces, while documenting the escalation of violence in America as it unfolds in real time – and close to home. A series of personal stories of affected community members unfolds against the backdrop of an opioid traumatized, post-industrial landscape, as experts unpack the systemic nature of a problem rooted in our times, our tech and our history.
Raised by Wolves is anchored by the filmmakers’ personal narrative – as journalists, part of an Appalachian Muslim family and parents to five children, four of whom are boys. The story is also rooted in the filmmaker’s past, growing up in poverty in the Ozarks, now investigating susceptibility to domestic violent extremism through the lens of rural shame.
“We have to recognize this for the battle for a generation that it is.”
From the film
Responses
“This is the first true thing I’ve seen about my generation.”
AnonymousRural young adult
“This shows the gap between what this society thought it was doing and what it actually did — it ate its own children . . . ”
Beverly Reed ScottPoet and journalist
“. . . We should fall at the children’s feet and beg their forgiveness. Tell them we will no longer take them for ours. We belong to them.”
Beverly Reed ScottPoet and journalist
Screenings
Bring the film to your community
We have hosted small community screenings in communities from West Virginia and Idaho to Atlanta and Minneapolis, including faith-based settings. If you are interested in hosting a screening and conversation event in your community, please reach out below.
Interviews
Featuring experts and community members in Appalachia
Raised by Wolves weaves together insights from experts — in adolescent development, masculinity and cultural identity, far right extremism and the role of technology platforms in weaponizing hate — with the stories of Appalachians navigating a crisis of hate in online and real world communities.
Community partners
With support from
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Release dates, upcoming events, trainings and resources
We hope this work can help advance public understanding of the unique risks Appalachia and America’s youth face online.
We will be working with our community partners to host public screenings of the documentary, community conversations and to provide trainings for parents, educators, mental health professionals, community leaders and other concerned citizens. Sign up here to learn more about upcoming events in your community.