“Our Towns” Virtual Screening and Q&A

Academy members were invited to a discussion of a new HBO documentary film based on the bestselling book, Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America, by journalists James and Deborah Fallows.

Directed by Academy Award®-nominated filmmakers Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan (HBO’s Emmy®-nominated Raising Renee), HBO’s Our Towns is a remarkable portrait of America and how the rise of civic and economic reinvention is transforming small cities and towns across the country. The feature documentary spotlights local initiatives and explores how a sense of community and common language of change can help people and towns find a different path to the future.

Similar conversations with citizens in communities across America inspired the recommendations in the Academy report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing Democracy for the 21st Century. This intimate discussion included an opportunity to examine common themes and ask questions of the filmmaking team.