“Thoughts & Prays” A Short Film About Gun Violence

Hi, my name is Robert Silverstein, and I’m the writer and director of Thoughts & Prayers—a short film about the cycle of gun violence in Baltimore.

For the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the city’s most brilliant minds. Tragically, some of them are no longer with us. Their lives were taken by the very cycle this film seeks to confront. In Baltimore—and in cities across America—gun violence has become so common that all we seem to offer are “thoughts and prayers” before looking the other way.

This story needs to be told because too many others haven’t been. Behind every statistic is a name, a family, a future stolen. If we don’t tell these stories ourselves, they risk being forgotten—or worse, rewritten.

Thoughts & Prayers isn’t about offering easy solutions. It’s a mirror. A gut-punch. A visual reckoning with how this cycle begins, how it sustains itself, and the lives it consumes. It’s a story about loss, survival, and the quiet, generational weight of violence.

We’re raising funds to bring this film to life with care, intention, and dignity. Your support will go directly toward hiring local cast and crew, securing locations, and crafting a film that Baltimore—and the nation—can’t ignore.

If you’ve ever lost someone to this cycle, or simply want to help break it, I ask that you stand with us. No amount is too small.

And as part of our commitment to real change, a portion of all funds raised will be donated to Everytown for Gun Safety to support their fight to end gun violence nationwide.

Thank you—for your time, your support, and your action.