Stream Shine Global’s latest film Through Our Eyes: Homefront on HBOMax

The film is also available to watch as part of Heartland Film’s Indy Shorts Film Festival along with Shine Global’s film Virtually Free through Sunday, July 25th.

WATCH NOW

ABOUT THE FILM

In the US, more than three million children live in homes with service members and veterans who rely on caregiver support. Gabby, Terry, and Luther all have parents who were injured while serving, and each family has found a way to heal the wounds of war. Homefront shows how Gabby (9), a fierce animal lover with a stock of chickens, rabbits, bees, and dogs, loves her family and faces her fears about her Dad’s traumatic brain injury and PTSD via equine therapy. Terry (10), an enthusiastic boy and his parents, Taniki and Brandon, share their experiences and mental health struggles as they work to heal and help each other cope with depression and PTSD through honest conversation and embracing joy. Luther (9) is a charismatic boy who wants to be “like my dad when I grow up.” His father, Joe, a Navy veteran who lost his leg in an IED explosion, struggles through chronic pain to put family first.

The film is directed by Emmy Award winner Kristi Jacobson (The Election Effect: Anmal, A Place at the Table, Solitary) and produced by Shine Global’s Alexandra Blaney and Catalyst Films’ Netsanet Negussie. Shine Global is proud to have partnered with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, in producing this episode in their first documentary series.

See the trailer for the four-part docuseries here:

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You can help this film have a greater impact by sharing it with your friends and family.

Example Post:

Excited to watch the new doc Through Our Eyes: HOMEFRONT from @ShineGlobal and @SesameWorkshop now streaming on @HBOMax.  It’s an intimate look at the issues children of military families face every day. See trailer at shineglobal.org/projects/homefront  #MoreThanMovies #MilitaryFamilies

THE ISSUES

Our ultimate goal is to support the physical, social, and emotional health of military families and their children.

We will use HOMEFRONT to:

• Raise awareness about the issues military families face every day, especially mental health issues
• Demonstrate the need to better understand the children of veterans and their unique challenges
• Inspire people, communities, and government leaders to support military families, especially their children

You can donate today to support our work using film to transform the lives of children and their families.

FURTHER RESOURCES

When a veteran requires caregiving at home, the whole family often takes on support roles—including children. Little is understood about the impact of caregiving within military families, but there is a growing understanding that better support systems are needed. These organizations can offer a place to start.

• The Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s programs provide military and veteran caregivers the support they need at the local, state, and national levels.
• Hidden Heroes provides support, resources, and community for military caregivers and raises awareness of the pivotal role that they play in nurturing veteran families.
• Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers provides free and confidential coaching for the families and friends of returning service members and veterans to manage difficult transitions.
• VA Caregiver Support: offers services for caregivers including online and in-person classes and  telephone and in-person support.
• Veteran Caregiver Support, created by Operation Homefront, cares for wounded, ill, or injured service members and veterans and fosters connections among caregivers.
• Blue Star Caregivers: programs for caregivers including social events, peer support, coffee chats, and digital resources.
• America’s VetDogs trains and places skilled guide dogs with military veterans who experience both invisible and visible wounds.
• Sesame Street for Military Families: Caregiving is an initiative to support military and veteran families as they care for a wounded, ill, or injured parent or relative.

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About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change. Since our founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, and Tre Maison Dasan which broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens, and Virtually Free which won the SIMA Jury Award for Impact.

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.

About Catalyst Films

Founded by Emmy Award-winning Director/Producer Kristi Jacobson, Catalyst Films produces non-fiction films, television, and online content. We are committed to telling stories that treat societal issues with nuance, complexity, and high production values. Some of our partners include HBO, HBO Max, Netflix, Discovery Channel, ITVS, PBS, Sundance, Tribeca Enterprises, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Magnolia Pictures, Procter & Gamble, Orangetheory Fitness, and more. Equally important to our ambitious creative mission, Catalyst Films leads with conviction to center racial and gender equity, in our effort to challenge and re-shape the documentary industry behind and in front of the camera.