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2022 Film Festival Information

 "Something in the Water" has been selected in the full length documentary category for the 4th annual Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival scheduled for Tuesday, September 20 – Saturday, September 24 on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.  Thank you, Kara Walker, Executive Director and your team for the honor.

“Something in the Water” has been selected in the feature documentary category for the 10th South Texas Underground Film Festival (STUFF), screening on Sunday, December 4, 2022, @12:30pm, at the Alamo Drafthouse, Corpus Christi, TX.  Thank you to Mariella Salinas Perez, Co-Founder | Festival Director of STUFF and your amazing team for the honor. 

WINNER! 31st BVFF GRAND FESTIVAL AWARD DOCUMENTARY - STATE OF THE NATION  was presented to Jeri Wachter and Joseph C. Stillman for their documentary, "Something in the Water" for the film's courageous look at the state of the Nation, on October 28, 2022.   Thank you, Mel Vapour, Executive Director | Co-founder the Berkeley Video Film Festival, and your team for this tremendous honor and recognition. 

“Something in the Water”  has been listed as a semi-finalist for the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival taking place August 8-14, 2022, in Providence, RI. Thank you, George T. Marshal, Executive Director, and your team for all you do to bring important films to light. 

Production Stills

    A documentary about a search for common ground in America

    Synopsis

    Inspired by a dark and critically important period in the recent history of the United States, between October 2020 and April 2021, the “Something in the Water” documentary was created in the spirit of keeping democracy alive in a search for common ground. 


    It’s the story of America  told through the eyes of a diverse group of people from across the United States who are struggling to understand and rationalize the ideologies that divide them as they live through a contentious Presidential election, the reckoning of  historical truths, nationwide social unrest, and the unfathomable loss of so many lives. Twelve chapters explore American perspectives around racism, economic disparities, democracy,  leadership, the Black Lives Matter movement, the American Dream,  COVID 19, and finding common ground.


    These  collective testimonies paint a mosaic of a country that is rich, resilient, and as varied as its people, bringing hope to the promise of America at a time of tremendous division. Closed Captioning (CC) is available.


    The "Something in the Water" documentary is an Important Films Media production.

    The Producers

    Joseph C. Stillman (Producer/Director) is an award winning filmmaker, producer, director, cinematographer, and writer. Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Stillman brings more than four decades of filmmaking experience to the creation of substantive documentary films, Motion Pictures, Television programming, and other video and film projects to clients from around the world. Documentary works include the internationally acclaimed, "Citizen Clark... A Life of Principle", the story of former U.S. Attorney General and Human Rights activist, Ramsey Clark, and "Rural Matters: Poverty in the Other America",  A consummate artist, dedicated to human rights and social justice, Stillman's works have been seen around the globe.


    Jeri Wachter (Producer/Director) is a Georgia born, NYC, and Southern raised, filmmaker, producer, researcher, cinematographer, and speaker, creating films and events to inform and inspire action toward positive societal change.  Documentary works include "Rural Matters: Poverty in the Other America",  an intimate portrait of people living on the edge of economic insecurity.  She brings more than two decades of experience in scientific publishing, more recently as a leading advocate to advance equity in the workplace, and for twenty years, as co-founder and chair of William Andrew Publishing, an international publisher of major reference works on materials, energy, and ecology. 

    "Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced." James Baldwin

    Something is definitely in the water in America!

    Americans across our land have many concerns and depending of course on what their individual and family situations and connection to history are, their viewpoints represent tremendous diversity, which is as we found, the great American experience.  As filmmakers, we take this responsibility seriously and are confident that our film offers an opportunity to learn from others what we don’t often get a chance to see.


    The film sparks dialogue, a sense of respectful curiosity, and an atmosphere of caring deeply about our fellow Americans; thus, engaging viewers to begin a process to bridge misunderstandings about each other, and around challenging and critical issues in our country.


    This work is intended for broad audiences, ages 14-103, in high schools, colleges and universities, as well as individuals at all levels in businesses and organizations, legislative policy makers, and where communities across our land can screen and hold forums. If you'd like to inquire about scheduling a screening, email: info@importantfilmsmedia.com. 


    Keep an eye out for news about upcoming screenings near you. Send us an email to be sure you're on our list for announcements. We'd love to hear from you.

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    Directors' Statement

    The “Something in the Water” documentary is inspired by the American spirit during a dark and critically important period in the recent history of the United States. Set between October 2020 and April 2021, Americans everywhere were facing an acute and permanent change to the very structures of their social, domestic, and working lives. Whole communities across the country were struggling through confusion, fear, and grief while reckoning with historical truths, and the implications of a polarized nation.  The film celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the American people and seeks to find common ground, amid political division, social unrest, and a global pandemic.


    It is an immersive and historical portrayal of the American experience through a non-binary and empathetic lens, as the collective testimonies of two-hundred people in thirty states, representing all regions of the U.S., bring real hope to this story about a country ridden with negativity and cynicism that are deeply embedded in the very social fabric of our daily lives.  


    The film is a compelling, illuminating, and moving experience that elicits from the viewer a closer examination of the same questions our subjects discuss.  It helps us to face uncomfortable truths from America’s past, as well as the admirable strengths of present-day Americans, with outcomes that have affected a redefined democracy as a result.  As filmmakers, we believe in the power of diverse voices to foster dialogue, raise hope, and bring positive change to some of the most challenging issues of our time. 


    Jeri Wachter and Joseph C. Stillman, Directors, The "Something in the Water" documentary 

    Special thanks to:

    The Major’s Inn, Gilbertsville, NY, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), New Orleans, LA, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Bark Productions, Kansas City, MO, East Rock Creek Village, Washington, DC, Hire Art, NYC, Braver Angels, USA, Chagrin Documentary Film Fest, Chagrin Falls, OH, The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN, Northland Country Club, Duluth, MN, UU Church of Fargo Moorhead, Fargo, ND, Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa, Belcourt, ND, The Roman Theatre, Red Lodge, MT, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Salt Lake City, UT, John Scott Real Estate, Des Moines, WA, Answer Coalition, San Francisco, CA, East Bay Media Center, Berkley, CA, Kingston 11 Cuisine, Oakland, CA, First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, J Feldman Studio, Albuquerque, NM, El Paso Community Foundation, El Paso, TX, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, The Park Foundation, Ithaca, NY, Center for Independent Documentary, Boston, MA


    Special, special thanks to:

    Gaila Reyna-Arguell, Jamie Azure, Bob Babcock, Robert Blanton, Reginald Bullock Jr., Elizabeth & Brian Burns, April Chatham-Carpenter, Tamara Childs, Lisa & Ruel Cowles, Wanda Davis, Paul Driftmier, Leigh Eckmair, Maria Farrington, Phil Farrington, JoAnn & Lee Fisher, John Feldman, Christopher Forbes, Ben & Diana Friedell, Bev Gibbons, John Gill, Terry Gomez, Patricia Griffith, Roberta Griffith, Mimi Grolund, Darrell Gunter, Cathy Hamilton, Christine Heller, Tony Hettler, Bev Hoffman, Nigel Jones, Kelly Kimball, Gloria LaRiva, Ron Lee, Kim Martinson, Peter Matthes, Deborah Merola, Robert Moreno, Diane Moseley, Shelley Moskowitz, Jim Mullowney, Barry Murphy, Kelly Noack, Eliza Oprea, Danny Ordner, Adelaide Gomer-Park, Chris Peters, Richard Pineda, Adan Plascencia, Mary Ann Ponce, Andy Puritz, Dave Rabin, Ilene Resnick, Robert Rosellini, CeCe Rowe, Jordy Sargent, Betsy Scanlin, Jack Schluep. Mark Schotte, Barbara Siesel, Ellie Stromberg, Keith Torgan, Joan Turbidy, Mel Vapour, Arthur & Lois Wachter, Beth Weinstein, Brenda Williams, Teresa Winchester, Joe & Shelley Whitworth, Aidan Woishnis


    This project would not have come this far without you!


    "Something in the Water"

    Important Films Media

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