Screening of “Is Anybody Listening” Veteran Stories – D.C.

United States Congressman Raul Ruiz will be hosting a screening of “Is Anybody Listening?” is anybodylisteningmovie.org on June 16, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. in the Cannon House Office Building, 27 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003, Room 121.

The film is told through very personal stories and is about the isolation of veterans from non-veterans and the power of connection for helping people who are suffering emotionally, often through something as simple as Welcome Johnny and Jane Home listen2veterans.org , a nonprofit that pairs a veteran from any era (combat or noncombat, woman or man) with a non-veteran who is not a therapist and who truly, simply listens in total, respectful silence with 100 percent of their attention and their whole heart to whatever the veteran wishes to say. Veterans have said this film captures what they want their loved ones and all Americans to know, and non-veterans have said it humanizes veterans, showing them neither to be superhuman and perfect specimens of heroism nor violent and mentally ill people. We use interviews, archival footage, and artwork to tell the story.

Emmy-winning director Mark Harris, Emmy-winning composer Patricia Lee Stotter (who, with Tim Leitch and me, also wrote the theme song “Is Anybody Listening?” that you can find at the bottom of this page), top cameramen John Simmons and Joe Friedman, Air Force veteran and award-winning editor Rock Grant, tireless veterans’ advocates and retired Army Colonels Dr. Kathy Platoni and David Sutherland, artist extraordinaire Amy Smith, and many people from Veterans in Film and Television all made sterling contributions to the film.

At isanybodylisteningmovie.org, you can see the trailer, read a longer description of the film, see the list of endorsers and comments from typical audience members, and lists of the cast and crew and screenings that have been held across the country in a terrific variety of places.

The screening will be free and open to the public, but please email me if you plan to attend, because I need to let the Congressman’s staff know ahead of time.

The film will be shown first (it runs 50 minutes), and a discussion with a number of veterans and audience members will follow. I will have handouts with proposals about needed legislation to address what is shown in the film.

This film recently won an Award of Exceptional Merit in the Depth of Field International Film Festival as well.

If you are in or near D.C., please join us, but it would be great if anyone receiving this message would help spread the word.