On April 2, film maker James Redford screened his new movie "Resilience" at Sonoma's Film Fest.
"I had too much content to create just one film. Paper Tigers became a vehicle for talking about Adverse Childhood Experiences. We furthered the message of hope in the follow-up film Resilience."
Redford shared his discovery of the Felitti and Anda study on Adverse Childhood Experiences. "I thought to myself, this study came out almost twenty years ago and the whole world isn't taking action?" He decided to use his skills as a film maker to transform the scholarly work into an accessible concept."
After all, as Anda says, "What is predictable is preventable." Individuals affected by ACEs can use their awareness to better understand their current health. Redford's Resilience dives into the provocative premise: “The child may not remember, but the body remembers.”
The film highlights strategies for increasing resiliency, and features Nadine Burke Harris who incorporated ACEs screening and interventions into her medical care provided at a Bay View Hunter's Point family clinic.
In his panel discussion, Redford discussed other approaches to target adversity and increase resiliency such as using trauma-informed practices at schools. "Paper Tigers is a terrific example of addressing ACEs on many levels. The school staff were trained to be Trauma Informed, and the students had access to an ACEs integrated medical clinic on their campus."
Retired Sonoma County Social Worker, Sherry Smith, is now a film festival volunteer. She pulled a local panel together to join in the discussion with Redford and audience members.
Nick Honey, Sonoma County Human Services Division Director and Mike Kennedy, Director of Sonoma County Behavior Health spoke about local initiatives that are incorporating ACE prevention strategies.
Audience members prompted lively discussions with questions like, "Which local schools are implementing Trauma Informed strategies? How can I show Paper Tigers to my school staff? What are we doing to help mental health services staff find the energy and time to implement these new approaches?"
Following the film, I traded business cards with many film watchers. Just days later, I connected with staff from Windsor High School with plans to show Paper Tigers to their school teachers and administrators.
Jamie Redford's compelling films are making the concepts of ACEs and Resiliency tangible for the general community, and even more importantly, they are inspiring immediate action.
Thanks to James Redford for his significant contributions towards mobilizing the ACEs prevention movement!
*Note: quotes attributed to James Redford here are the author's best recollections of his statements at the film screening.
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