American Freedoms

The United States has long been portrayed as a place that, at the best of times, rewards hard-working people who are seeking opportunity and safety and who demand the right to enjoy basic freedoms. How do people who live in the U.S. see themselves fitting into this story about the "American" experience?

I am filming conversations with hundreds of people nationwide about the idea and experience of "freedom" in the United States. What privileges and opportunities do they feel that life here has enabled them to enjoy and what has been denied? How has the country helped or hindered others' ability to secure political, cultural, economic, and personal freedoms? Are there privileges and rights that should be accessible to anyone in the U.S., and do Americans sometimes take their freedoms for granted? Why is there so much disagreement about freedom's boundaries, about the rights and privileges that deserve protection, and about what it takes to secure them? And given the history of conflict over these issues, why are people still likely to view their demands and aspirations as chapters in an "American" story, part of a tradition with a shared and unified purpose? 

The story in American Freedoms will be told by hundreds of individuals who choose to participate. Their voices will narrate, without "experts" (or the filmmaker) offering commentary or passing judgement on freedom's many meanings and histories. And no one will get extensive screen time. I won't "profile" speakers or highlight particular views or life stories. The film will present a patchwork of conversations about a wide range of experiences, understandings, and convictions, some that will be familiar to viewers and others that will no doubt surprise or confuse. The project invites participants and viewers to put competing ideas about freedoms in the United States—freedoms imagined, aspired to, and realized—in conversation with their own.

                                                    To learn more or inquire about participating, click the links above.