Our documentary film premiered on July 16 at the Portsmouth Historical Society before an audience of more than 100 people. Subsequent screenings at other historical societies have brought total in-person attendance to more than 400.

BoRIA’s Battle of Rhode Island film has turned out to be a genuine breakout on YouTube. Starting from a base of just 80 subscribers, and released on August 14, the film has been viewed more than 32,600 times, generated 1,700 hours of watch time, and pulled in more than 300,000 thumbnail impressions — growing our channel to 226 subscribers, a 180 percent increase. Most striking is that this wasn’t just our existing supporters tuning in: 93 percent of all views came through YouTube’s own Browse Features and Suggested Videos placements, meaning YouTube’s algorithm itself judged the film compelling enough to put in front of viewers with no prior connection to BoRIA. The audience reached far beyond Rhode Island, with 96 percent of views coming from within the U.S. and viewers as far afield as Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Ireland. Viewers have also shared 44 comments and 392 “likes.”

The results make a clear case for BoRIA to keep investing in film as a core piece of our public outreach. Viewers who found the film through YouTube’s “suggested videos” watched especially deeply — over 8 minutes on average — telling us that professionally told, story-driven Revolutionary War history has real pull with a national history-loving audience, not just a local one. Buoyed by this success, the filmmaking team is now seeking funding to produce a mix of longer documentaries and shorter, focused videos on subjects like the Black Regiment, Butts Hill Fort, and Newport under British occupation, aimed at bringing even more of this history to a wider public.

In the Media

SmallStateBigHistory (September 19) featured the film in “New Documentary Brings the Battle of Rhode Island to Life”.

“Talk of the Town: Mornings with Bruce Newbury” (September 21) interviewed the film’s director, Michele Girasole. Click here to listen to the episode.

Note: Some historical inaccuracies in our AI-generated illustrations were noted in viewer comments – view our response and updates here. The Battle of Rhode Island deserves careful study, and the film has prompted viewers to look closely, ask questions, and share their expertise. Thanks are due to everyone who engaged with the project, especially those whose close attention helped identify errors and improve the historical record presented alongside the film.