As many of you know, the documentary “The Welcome” will open in a special screening at the Ashland Independent Film Festival on Saturday, April 9 at noon. This will take place at the Historic Ashland Armory at Oak and B streets, and as an added bonus most of the Veterans and family members featured in the film will be present to answer questions after the showing. We believe that this will be a dramatic and poignant reunion of Veterans and the community of Southern Oregon after the powerful Memorial Day event in 2008 that is the subject of this film. Check out the festival box office at www.ashlandfilm.org and purchase tickets early. Tickets go on sale for the general public this coming Sunday, March 20.
Also, the new web site for the film is now up and running – www.TheWelcomeTheMovie.com, and we invite you to log on and check it out. We expect this site to be a primary public meeting place for people interested in the subject of Veterans, their families and a constructive dialogue between Veterans and civilians.
“The Welcome”: a Documentary Film
“The Welcome” offers a fiercely intimate view of life after war: the fear, anger and isolation of post-traumatic stress that affects vets and family members alike. As we join them in a small room for an unusual five day healing retreat, we witness how the ruins of war can be transformed into the beauty of poetry. Here our perceptions are changed, our psyches strained, and our hearts broken. And at the end, when this poetry is shared with a large civilian audience, we begin to understand that all of us are a vital piece of the Welcome as Veterans try to find the way back home. Their examples of unflinching honesty, courage and love lift us up, inspiring all of us once again to feel our common humanity, always the first casualty of war.
Special Screening:
Ashland Independent Film Festival
Saturday, April 9, 12:00 Noon
Ashland Armory, Oak and B Streets
Ticket information can be found at www.ashlandfilm.org
For more information visit thewelcomehomeproject.org
