From award-winning filmmakers Andrew Shea and Melissa Shea, Flag Day is a new documentary portrait of the largest Flag Day parade in the United States and Three Oaks, Michigan, the community that has kept that tradition alive for more than seventy years. Watch the trailer here. The film is available for free community screenings to celebrate Flag Day, America’s 250th, to fundraise, or simply to gather your community. Participating organizations receive a free poster, discussion resources, and screening support.
Produced, edited, and directed by Andrew Shea and Melissa Shea, Flag Day unfolds over the course of Flag Day weekend, immersing viewers in the lives of a diverse cross-section of townspeople: veterans, local business owners, marching bands, and volunteers who, for one weekend each June, create an event that is at once nostalgic and reflective of the tensions of our time. Their stories reveal both the beauty and the fragility of community life in a time of polarization. Filmed in an observational, verité style, Flag Day captures moments of humor, conflict, and grace as the community prepares for its defining ritual, offering a ground-level portrait of civic life that holds both the good and the hard truths of being American.
“Our film began as an attempt to understand something we felt slipping away — the simple act of showing up for each other,” said directors Andrew and Melissa Shea. “This is about offering the film so it can be seen and viewed and debated and enjoyed by as many people as possible,” Andrew Shea said, adding that they expect “Flag Day” to be relevant even after this summer’s semi-quincentennial celebration.
Organizations or groups that host a screening will receive a discussion guide, promotional materials, and a free Flag Day poster. Register at: https://www.flagdayfilm.com/host-screening
Flag Day is also coming to theaters nationwide this June – visit flagdayfilm.com/watch for a full list of upcoming screenings. Don’t have capacity to host your own screening, but would love Flag Day to screen at your local cinema? Email impact producer Alice Quinlan at [email protected] to request a theatrical screening in your city or town.
