“This election made many of us keenly aware of how much we all live in our own bubbles. We shape social media so that it reflects our opinions. We surround ourselves with like-minded people. We tune out those who don’t agree with us. This leaves us in an echo chamber. But the reality is, everyone does not share the same ideas.It’s vital that we start to hear other voices and film has the capacity to do just that. It can connect us to people in places we don’t usually go. Through the amazing power of film, we have the opportunity to open up our eyes and ears to bridge political and geographic divides.”
— America Heard
In the wake of the 2016 election a few filmmakers got together to create a web series called America Heard. This web series was founded by filmmakers who wanted a platform where many diverse stories of Americans across the country, and abroad, could be shared. In particular, they wanted to inspire conversations surrounding topics that are not being told or are not fairly covered by skewed media outlets.
Upon learning of this project, and their need for local filmmakers from all 435 congressional districts across America, Director Yasmin Mistry decided she wanted to share a story from her hometown of Syracuse, NY. Knowing that Syracuse is home to over 10,000 former refugees, and that their perspective often gets misconstrued or lost, She felt that this was an ideal platform through which she could give members of this community a voice.
Check out more films from the series at: https://americaheard.com/
Website: https://americaheard.com/
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