The Welcome

With co-producer Bill McMillan and poet/war veteran Mandy Martin – Q&A

Trailer Link: http://www.thewelcomethemovie.com/

USA, 2011
Director: Kim Shelton
Cinematographer: Andy Black
Editors: Josh Peterson, Eva Ilona Brzeski
Composer: Todd Boekelheide
Cast: Michael Meade, Bob and Moe Eaton, Laura Carpenter, Ken Kraft, Eli Painted Crow, Jake and Christy Jacobs, Rory Dunn
Running Time: 94 minutes

Screening on Veterans Day, this powerful film depicts a group of war veterans who, in a five-day retreat, deal with post-traumatic stress through poetry and performance. The film offers a fiercely intimate view of life after war — the fear, anger and isolation that affect vets and family members alike.

Described as “brilliant in its intimacy, pacing, and novelty” by Craig K. Comstock for the Huffington Post, the film offers a glimpse into how the ruins of war can be transformed into the beauty of poetry. Through the mentorship of Michael Meade of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation — a mythologist and storyteller with experience bringing communities together to heal — the veterans write, sing and relate their stories of war and their struggle to return to a normal life. A poem offered by Laura Carpenter, a veteran of Afghanistan about to deploy to Iraq, evokes a strong reaction and rips away any emotional reserve being held by the audience.

Shawn Levy of the Oregonian says of the film: “Sometimes you stumble into something out of a sense of duty or good intentions only to find yourself absorbed and overwhelmed beyond anything you might have anticipated.”

The Welcome changes perceptions, strains the psyche and breaks the heart. The veterans, with their unflinching honesty, courage and love lift us up, inspiring us to feel a common humanity, often the first casualty of war.

Note: Q&A discussion between filmmakers and audience adds approximately 30 minutes to running time.