FLAG DAY, A Film by Andrew and Melissa Shea
FLAG DAY, an Inspiring Portrait of Unity and the American Spirit,
Comes to Theaters Nationwide on Flag Day Weekend
An ABRAMORAMA North American Theatrical Release,
Supported by Strategic Impact and Storytelling Partner RED OWL
June 14 in Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, OH, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis
June 14 and 15 in Palm Springs/Cathedral City and San Diego
And More!
From acclaimed filmmakers Andrew and Melissa Shea, FLAG DAY is a powerful new vérité documentary exploring ritual, identity and the enduring bonds that unite a small-town American community. Centered on an annual Flag Day celebration that rises above political division, the film captures the people and traditions that keep civic pride and shared humanity alive. ABRAMORAMA, the theatrical releasing division of AB2 Media, will screen the film in theaters nationwide appropriately on Flag Day weekend. The release is supported by Red Owl, a strategic impact and storytelling partner powering the film’s community outreach and engagement nationwide. Audiences can see the film on June 14 in Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, OH, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, and June 14 and 15 in Palm Springs/Cathedral City and San Diego and more. For a full list of cities and playdates, visit: https://www.flagdayfilm.com/watch
FLAG DAY is set in the small farming community of Three Oaks, Michigan, home to the nation’s largest Flag Day parade. Somewhere between tradition and transformation lies this village, whose annual parade has become a pageant of American aspiration and memory. Over the course of Flag Day weekend, the film immerses viewers in the lives of a diverse cross-section of townspeople: veterans, local business owners, marching bands and volunteers who, for one weekend each June, create an event that is at once nostalgic and reflective of the tensions of our time. Their stories reveal both the beauty and the fragility of community life in a time of polarization. FLAG DAY was filmed in an observational, verité style, capturing moments of humor, conflict and grace as the community prepares for its defining ritual. The film offers a ground-level portrait of civic life — a portrait that holds both the good and the hard truths of being American. The project asks what binds us together today and whether those bonds can still be renewed.
“Our film began as an attempt to understand something we felt slipping away — the simple act of showing up for each other,” said directors Andrew and Melissa Shea. “Watching communities across the country choose to screen this film on Flag Day weekend feels like exactly that. We’re moved and grateful, and we hope audiences leave the theater with a renewed sense of what we share.”
The music of FLAG DAY traces an emotional journey through the American experience, featuring songs by some of the country's most iconic voices. From Country Johnny Mathis’s timeless optimism and Paul Simon’s searching restlessness to John Mellencamp’s working-class pride and Jon Batiste’s jubilant vision of freedom, the soundtrack reflects a nation wrestling with what it means to belong. Singer-songwriter Raye Zaragoza closes the film with her “American Dream,” a powerful reminder that the dream itself is still being written — complicated, challenged and ultimately worth fighting for. Together, these songs form a musical portrait of America in all its contradictions and possibility, as relevant today as ever.
This same sensibility extends to the film’s striking poster artwork by acclaimed illustrator Akiko Stehrenberger, whose distinctive, award-winning designs have defined the visual identity of numerous celebrated films.
About the Filmmakers:
Andrew Shea - Producer/Editor/Director
Andrew is an award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter who has enjoyed success in film, television and theatre. His films have screened at several of the most prestigious and selective film festivals in the world: the Cannes Film Festival Critics Week, the Sundance Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, DOC NYC, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), the Austin Film Festival and SXSW. Andrew is a professor in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Melissa Shea - Producer/Editor/Director
Melissa is a creative and versatile filmmaker who worked in commercials in Los Angeles before making the switch to feature films. Her narrative and documentary work has screened at major film festivals including Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), DOC NYC, Austin and Tribeca. Her creative partnership with co-director Andrew Shea began at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where they collaborated on the short film Take My Breath Away, which was invited to screen in the International Critics’ Week section at the Cannes Film Festival.
Credits:
Produced, Edited and Directed by Andrew Shea & Melissa Shea
Director of Photography: Margaret Byrne
Production Sound Mixer: Shuling Yong
Digital Intermediate Colorist: Brandon Thomas
Music Supervisor: Sean Mulligan
Music Editor: Lorena Perez Batista
Supervising Sound Editor: Brad Engleking
Impact Producers: Alice Quinlan, Eliza Licht, Katie Solito
Production Coordinators: Rachel Rozycki, Johnaé Strong
Post-Production Services: TBD Post - Austin
Additional Cinematography: Joshua Jackson, Erik Ljung, Dustin Nakao-Haider, Carlos, Javier Ortiz, Jeffrey Perlman, Jason Rhee, Eric Seals, Kevin Shaw, Ines Sommer, Mitchell Wenkus
Additional Sound Recording: Robert Aguilar, Jacob Brown, Alan Chow, Hayden Jackson, Baili Martin
Documentary, 75 minutes, USA, English, Color, HD (16:9), Stereo and 5.1 Sound Mixes
For more information about FLAG DAY visit:
Follow FLAG DAY:
Instagram: @flagdaydoc
Facebook: @flagdaythefilm
About Red Owl:
Red Owl is an award-winning impact production company that connects visionary films with audiences to inspire engagement and action. Working alongside change makers, advocates, community organizers and filmmakers, Red Owl harnesses the power of storytelling to advance meaningful dialogue and collaboration. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience across impact and audience engagement, law, education, social advocacy, and the arts, Red Owl partners with films and media projects across genres to lead impact campaigns centered on community agency and public engagement.
Recognized by the Anthem Awards, Social Impact Media Awards and the Shorty Awards, Red Owl has led impact campaigns for Sugarcane (2024) directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, Union (2024) directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story, and Victim/Suspect (2023) directed by Nancy Schwartzman, and supported engagement programs, research and evaluation for the Sundance Institute, Futuro Media Group, WORLD Channel and Vision Maker Media. For more information, visit redowlpartners.com.
About AB2 Media Group / ABRAMORAMA:
AB2 Media Group (AB2) provides best-in-class strategic advisory and rights management services to intellectual property stakeholders, including acclaimed filmmakers, major networks, premier record labels, digital platforms and high-profile artists. Abramorama, the theatrical releasing division of AB2, is a preeminent global distribution and marketing partner for nonfiction, narrative, sports/adventure, science and music films and is recognized for the consistent high quality of its work.
Over the course of more than 25 years, Abramorama has successfully distributed and marketed hundreds of films, including the record breaking Hello, Love, Again directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana and The Last Class directed by Elliot Kirschner; Oliver Stone’s Nuclear Now; Werner Herzog’s Ghost Elephants, Sam Green’s 32 Sounds, Vanessa & Ted Hope’s Invisible Nation; Ron Howard’s Grammy Award®-winning The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years; Stanley Nelson’s Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool; Atlantic Records and Melanie Martinez’ K-12; John McDermott’s Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church; Amir Bar-Lev's Long Strange Trip – The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead; Corbett Redford and Green Day’s Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk; Brett Bern's BANG! The Bert Berns Story; Brett Morgen and National Geographic’s seminal Jane; Asif Kapadia’s Senna; Neil Young’s vast catalog of Bernard Shakey Productions; Cameron Crowe’s Pearl Jam Twenty; Sacha Gervasi’s Spirit Award-winning Anvil! The Story of Anvil; Banksy’s Academy Award® nominated & Spirit Award-winning Exit Through the Gift Shop; and the episodic theatrical series Deconstructing The Beatles.
In January of 2019, AB2 launched ABCinemaNOW with a live multicast streaming program from Paris, France for a 55-country release of Roberta Grossman and Nancy Spielberg’s Who Will Write Our History.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic AB2 released 24 feature films as appointment viewing live virtual cinema events simultaneously across multiple digital platforms and launched the first paid feature film to premiere globally on META in 2021. For more information, please visit www.AB2mediagroup.com.
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