Dispatch 08
Welcome to The Strata, a bi-weekly newsletter that tells a serialized story about my filmmaking process and updates you on the Impact Campaign for my first feature film.
Dispatch 08: INTERMISSION
Dear Reader,
Please allow me a brief interlude from the serialized storytelling to remind you to please come watch Flood THIS AND NEXT WEEK on the big screen in NYC!
Flood premieres theatrically Fri 6/19 at 7p at the FIREHOUSE CINEMA (DCTV) in New York City and runs through Thur 6/25!
We’ll also have a special one-night screening at the JACOB BURNS CENTER in Westchester on Tue 6/23 at 7p!
We have an incredible lineup of post-screening Q&As at the Firehouse Cinema that you won’t want to miss. I’ll be there with Special Guests, including:
6/19 - Opening Night - Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras + composer & musician Stuart Bogie
6/20 - My mom Peggy! + therapists! April Kunis (Pause for America) & Sarah Carr (Board President, Reclamation Collective)
6/21 - A Father’s Day conversation about Queer Family with filmmaker Macky Alston & therapist April Kunis (Pause for America)
6/24 - Filmmaker Yance Ford!!!
And more! See the full lineup here.
We are building connections to therapists, faith leaders, and advocates who are working hard to bridge divides. Many of these individuals will be present for Q&As and therapeutic support after screenings.
Meet Our Impact Partners
RECLAMATION COLLECTIVE
A nonprofit that provides support for those harmed in religious and spiritual contexts. Sarah Carr, CFP®, CFT™, is a Certified Financial Planner and Financial Therapist who grew up in and left a high-control fundamentalist community. Her practice specializes in the emotional and psychological dimensions of financial life, with particular focus on religious trauma, gendered financial disempowerment, and the financial aftermath of spiritual abuse. Sarah serves as board chair for Reclamation Collective.
🔥 Multiple Q&As Sat 6/20 & Sun 6/21
Dr. Josh Stieber is a New York City-based clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of trauma–particularly religious trauma–as well as in couples therapy and psychedelic integration work. He was raised in an Evangelical community and is an Army veteran.
🔥 Present for support Mon 6/22 (6p screening)
Kristen Rix is a psychotherapist in private practice with 12 years of experience. As an ex-evangelical, she delights in helping folks understand their past rigid religious experiences through a trauma lens while helping them reclaim the goodness for their spiritual life ahead.
🔥 Present for support Mon 6/22 (6p screening)
PAUSE FOR AMERICA
A nonprofit dedicated to helping Americans build understanding across differences and engage in healthier conversations about challenging issues. April Kunis, MA, LPC, BCC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Coach, and owner of Insight Counseling & Coaching Specialists. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Pause for America.
🔥 Multiple Q&As Fri 6/19, Sat 6/20 & Sun 6/21
BRAVER ANGELS
A nonprofit leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic. Brian Felder is a Bronx-based organizer for Braver Angels. He serves as an Education Assistant with Transitional Services for New York (TSINY), supporting individuals pursuing educational and career goals as part of their recovery journey.
🔥 Sun 6/21 Q&A (4p screening)
THE LIBERATI
A nonprofit dedicated to providing compassionate community, education, and emergency aid to individuals who are breaking free from high-control religions, with a primary focus on former Jehovah’s Witnesses.
🔥 Sun 6/21 Q&A (4p screening)
HOUSING WORKS
A community-based organization whose services include housing, health care, mental health, chemical dependency services, legal, advocacy, and job training and employment for homeless men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions. Charles King is one of the founders and CEO of Housing Works. He holds both a Law Degree and a Master of Divinity from Yale University and is an ordained Baptist Minister.
🔥 Thur 6/25 Q&A (7p screening)
Adam Blackman, Impact Producer, is a former bookstore manager and nonprofit director turned freelance editor and writer of children’s literature. Throughout his 20+ years of nonprofit management, he has developed networks of support for causes as varied as HIV/AIDS service in New York and Chicago, justice-impacted individuals, and New York City’s Chinese immigrant community.
🔥 Moderator, Thur 6/25 Q&A (7p screening)
Coming Soon: Indie Lens in July
Flood premieres nationwide on Independent Lens on July 13! Stream on the PBS Documentaries YouTube channel or watch the TV broadcast.
Stay tuned for updates on PBS watch parties and additional in-person screenings!
Our NYC theatrical run is just the beginning.
Original artwork by artists Ray Troll and Erik Peterson.
More serialized storytelling to come in Dispatch 09 on Wed 7/1. Please subscribe and share with your friends and loved ones!
May your upcoming screenings be fruitful. Have you done a screening in either of the Twin Cities in Minnesota?