ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Ben Rekhi - Director

Ben Rekhi is an award-winning narrative and documentary filmmaker. After working with the Coen Brothers on O Brother, Where Art Thou? Rekhi was hired by George Clooney to shoot the behind-the-scenes for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Rekhi’s debut feature film was SXSW Audience Award Winner Waterborne, about a fictional biological attack on LA’s water supply, which was released by the Sundance Channel. His follow-up, The Ashram, starred Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo and Kal Penn. Rekhi then shifted gears and co-directed a documentary series for PBS called The Hidden Vote which profiled minorities who support Trump. His third film Watch List, set against the drug wars in the Philippines, was co-financed by Bron Studios (Joker), executive produced by XYZ Films (The Raid). The Reunited States, his documentary debut, is executive produced by Van Jones and Meghan McCain and released Feb 2021.

Director’s Filmography

• The Reunited States (2021)

• Watch List (2019)

• The Ashram (2018)

• Fun Size Horror: Volume One (segment "Somebody's Watching You") (2015)

• Waterborne (2005)

Mark Gerzon - Author of The Reunited States / Consulting Producer

Mark Gerzon, President of Mediators Foundation, has been working to bridge the partisan divide in the U.S. for more than a quarter of a century. In 1997 and 1999, he co-designed and facilitated two U.S. House of Representatives Bipartisan Congressional Retreats designed to help House members deal with conflict in order to work together more effectively. These efforts were followed by numerous other bi-partisan and trans-partisan activities, including most recently co-founding The Bridge Alliance, a diverse coalition of more than 80 respected organizations committed to revitalizing democratic practice in America. He is the author of the 2016 book The Reunited States of America: How We Can Bridge the Partisan Divide, which was a major catalyst for this film.

Sol Tryon - Producer

Sol Tryon is an American film producer. His first feature, Bomb The System, earned him a Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature. He was named the most innovative and progressive filmmaker at the Cinevegas Film Festival for his directorial debut, The Living Wake, which starred Jesse Eisenberg. Sol has gone on to producer several other award-winning narrative films, including Weapons, with Paul Dano and Nick Cannon (released by Lionsgate); Explicit Ills, with Rosario Dawson and executive produced by Jim Jarmusch; Fix, starring Olivia Wilde and Starlet, with Dree Hemmingway and directed by Sean Baker (The Florida Project). As a documentary producer, Sol’s projects include award winning films such as 2012 Time for Change, Being In The World, Neurons to Nirvana, Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary, Monogamish, Weed The People, which have all been distributed theatrically, on television or through premiere streaming platforms around the world.

Raj Krishna - Producer

Raj Krishna is a producer, writer and director. Raj first produced MY ‘FRIEND’ MICK (directed by Ankush Jindal), which was sold to ShortsTV in 2019. His second short as producer was KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK (directed by Sudhanshu Saria) world premiered at Busan in October 2019 and was sold to MUBI. Raj produced two documentaries - THE REUNITED STATES (directed by Ben Rekhi), which profiles the political polarization happening in the US, and PARADISE (directed by Bijon Imtiaz and Arifur Rahman), a documentary filmed in the Bay of Bengal, which will be releasing in 2021. Raj’s script VARNA HEIGHTS, a cannibal horror film, was featured at the NFDC Co-Production Market at Film Bazaar in Goa in November 2019. In 2020, Raj wrote and directed his first film PADMAVYUHA, which world premiered as the opening night gala film at the Indian International Film Festival Toronto (IIFFT), and went on to play at festivals such as the Indian Film Festival Melbourne and the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival.  

FILM SUBJECTS:

Susan Bro - Susan D. Bro honors the legacy of her daughter and civil rights activist Heather Heyer by empowering others to make a difference in the world by fighting for equal rights for all. Susan is the mother of Heather Heyer and the co-founder of the Heather Heyer Foundation (HHF). Susan launched the foundation to carry on the legacy of her daughter, Heather, a young a paralegal for the Miller Law Group who had a love for all individuals regardless of race, religion or creed. Heather was slain while standing up for social justice with her friends on August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, VA. The Heather Heyer Foundation is a 501(c)3. Susan formed the HHF to help provide scholarships for students seeking degrees or certifications in careers that work with social justice issues, such as paralegals, social workers, lawyers, educators, and other individuals who want to make positive social change. Susan serves as the foundation president and board chair. Based on her daughter’s motto, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention,” Susan brings Heather’s legacy alive by sharing a positive, non-violent message and call-to-action that inspires others to fight for social justice and civil rights issues while encouraging dialogue and understanding in our communities.

Steven Olikara - Steven Olikara (@StevenOlikara) is a political entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of Millennial Action Project (MAP), the largest nonpartisan organization of young lawmakers in the U.S. MAP works with over 1,500 elected leaders in Congress and state legislatures to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democracy. A nationally-recognized political commentator, Steven has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, GQ Magazine and many other national outlets. An avid musician, he is also co-author of the book, JFK: THE LAST SPEECH, on the role of artists in democracy.  Previously, Steven advised two multi-platinum recording artists on youth empowerment and sustainable energy initiatives. Steven has been named a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum and a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Law & Policy in 2017. A proud Wisconsinite, Steven graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Udall and Truman Scholar. Steven is based in Milwaukee, WI, where he hosts the Meeting in Middle America podcast.

Greg Orman -Gregory John Orman is an American politician, entrepreneur and political candidate. He ran as an independent to represent Kansas in the United States Senate in the 2014 election, earning 42.5 percent of the vote and losing to incumbent U.S. Senator Pat Roberts. On January 24, 2018, Orman announced he would run for governor of the state of Kansas in 2018. After the major party primaries in August 2018, polling indicated that in a three-way race Orman was at 19 percent, Democrat Laura Kelly at 32 percent and Republican Kris Kobach at 38 percent. Orman suspended his television ads and stopped actively fundraising in mid-September. In the November 6 general election, he received approximately 6.5% of the vote, more than the victory margin of Democrat Laura Kelly over Republican Kris Kobach.

David & Erin Leaverton - For Undivided Nation founders Erin and David Leaverton, America had always been a place of liberty and justice for all. But when they set out on an RV in 2018 to explore America’s division, that narrative came crashing down. 

Over the course of one year on the road, Erin and David looked into eyes of individuals from all 50 states, listened to their stories and got glimpses into countless American experiences completely unlike their own. These encounters opened their eyes to see beyond the confines of their white, conservative worldview, into an America they never knew existed, an America where liberty and justice are for some, but not all. 

Today, Erin and David are gearing up to convert the imparted wisdom gained from their travels into multiple tools that empower others to embark on the journey of authentic encounter and personal transformation. Working across multiple sectors, they are laying the groundwork to invite others to explore our false beliefs about human value, discover the missing pieces of our collective story and retrain ourselves to become lifelong learners who honor rather then fear our neighbor.

Festivals: Cinequest Film Festival (Opening Night Film), Nashville FF, Virginia FF, St Louis International FF, Woods Hole Film Festival (World Premiere), BZN International Film Festival, Port Townsend Film Festival, St. Louis International FF, United Nations Association FF, Virginia FF, Twin Cities FF, Milwaukee FF, Rhode Island International FF

Pearce Godwin - Associate Producer

A former Republican consultant, Pearce is now a national voice for bridging divides. He is founder of the #ListenFirst Coalition of 250+ organizations bringing Americans together across differences and the collaborative National Conversation Project. He catalyzes the movement to mend our frayed social fabric by bridging divides. Pearce’s passion is transforming division and contempt into unity and connection, and maximizing impact by aggregating, aligning, and amplifying the efforts of Coalition partners into large scale, collective campaigns and strategies. In 2020, he led the crisis response campaign #WeavingCommunity.

The burgeoning movement to bridge divides has already reached more than 20 million Americans. Pearce’s work has been recognized by journalists at CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, USA Today, the Associated Press, and The New York Times. He speaks on national television and to live audiences around the world while writing for national publications, most recently USA Today: It feels like the American experiment is failing. Here's how we can still save it.

Cast and Crew List - full list here

• Technical Specifications

• Year of Production: 2020

• Country of Origin/Filming/Production: United States

• Length: 85 Minutes

• Shooting Format: 4K Color

• Screening format: Digical cinema / High Definition (DCP - Digital Cinema Package)

• Aspect Ratio: 16X9 (HD 1920x1080)

• Sound: 5.1 or Stereo Mix