The idea of the film came about when Trump was elected in 2016.  I was directing a high school theater production at the time and saw first-hand the extremely negative impact of America’s divisive politics on my students.  For those who were against Trump, there was extreme anger and sadness. Students were crying in the bathroom and some were playing aggressive rap songs against Trump. The pro-Trump students were extremely happy but hid their happiness in fear of the negative consequences. A conservative friend told me how hypocritical liberals were in their censorship and harassment of conservative students.  

 

And it wasn’t only in my job teaching high school theater, it was everywhere. In my own family, there were family members who dared not to bring up politics because they were afraid of how the divisiveness might damage or end cherished relationships.  

 

Our country's political divisions have been well documented. A FiveThirtyEight poll showed that views of the opposing party in America are at an all time low.   Another national poll said that 43% of Americans feel that a civil war is either very likely or somewhat likely.  The American historian, John Meacham, has stated that the country’s divisive politics is similar to the 1850’s when the US was about to enter a civil war.  

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So I decided to create a film to help bridge this destructive political divide.  The film’s story features a liberal character and a conservative character grappling with how to move forward in such a polarized political climate and we hope the film will be a catalyst to help our country do the same.  In order to make sure the story balanced both liberal and conservative view points, I have been working with advisors from both sides of the divide including a non-profit organization, Braver Angels. Braver Angels is a national movement to bring liberals, conservatives and others together at the grassroots level — not to find centrist compromise, but to find one another as citizens. 

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After we make this short film, we will apply to prominent film festivals with the hopes that a good showing in these festivals will elevate awareness about the film’s issues.  Some examples of film festivals that we will be applying to are: Sundance Film Festival (the premiere film festival in the U.S.), Austin Film Festival and Slamdance Film Festival.

 

Then, we will be partnering with various organizations to do screenings of the film with audiences from across the political spectrum and follow up workshops designed to build stronger communication between liberal and conservative groups. 

 

In essence,  we hope this film and its distribution will be a significant step towards rebuilding a more cooperative community in our dangerously divided country.

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Peter Tamaribuchi, MFA

Writer / Director

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