Bridging Divides: Sharing Heartbeats

Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone and Everyone. In it, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz, depicts families from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian, and Cherokee, as well as from various religious denominations such as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Southern Baptist, share intimate accounts of how their children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss their responses. The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations.

Following Dreams is about people who choose to pursue their own path. They don't listen to naysayers; they listen to themselves instead. Seven of the people below have found a richness of a different kind, a life full of meaning, joy and passion. One did not.

This documentary features people in their 90s and 100s who are living extraordinary and passionate lives. Filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz has interviewed some of the most incredible people you can imagine - people who aren't aware of chronological age at all, but live as though the future and youth spring eternal.

The Misunderstood Epidemic: Depression is an intimate look at how depression affects its victims and their families. The film explores through firsthand accounts how depression can happen to anyone regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic background. One by one the topics are addressed in candid detail: symptoms; suicide; the stigma and lack of understanding; the stress in families and relationships; the loss of ability to work.

Musicians and homeless advocates Nina Deering and Steph Johnson found a chorus group for the homeless in San Diego.

Susan Polis Schutz's documentary follows twelve subjects who have persevered despite having suffered severe adversity.

Forty million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. In this revealing film a dozen people from diverse backgrounds describe how they have struggled with anxiety. Their symptoms cover a wide range from excessive worry, uneasiness and fear, to more extreme symptoms such as compulsive behavior, post-traumatic stress syndrome, phobias, and torturous panic attacks. The film takes you on the crippling ride people with anxiety go on every day. These people are stunted by the fear of what would happen if ... instead of living life. The film explores the unpublicized fact that anxiety is the most treatable form of mental illness. The real-life stories of the people demonstrate how they were able to get on the path to recovery via various therapies.

LOVE WINS OVER HATE explores the personal transformations of six individuals who went from agents of anger and bigotry to advocates for empathy and inclusivity. In the documentary, former Neo-Nazi Shannon Foley Martinez discusses how easy it was to direct her unprocessed rage and self-hatred from a sexual assault into a movement rooted in hate. Other interviewees include former white supremacists.