“Powerful, piercingly human, painful, optimistic and beautifully done from every aspect. Patriotism is being the people in this film and who made it. Patriotism is also watching and learning from it.”
– D. Ball/Legal and University Professional
Why This Film
STRANGER AT HOME reveals WHY a harmful, 100 year-old policy perpetuates catastrophic PTS and suicide rates amongst our country’s military community. The film offers an in-depth look at eradicating stigma and creating a National Behavioral (Mental) Health Corps as achievable and critical steps to end an unnecessary mental health crisis.
STRANGER AT HOME contrasts the intimate stories of three Veterans — Mark Russell, Charles Figley and Steven Elliott — with their unified message, which is: mental healthcare reform is the most essential human rights frontier ahead of us, and that it’s time for the American Military to take the lead role in this profoundly important movement.
“We’re asking for very specific policy changes that come right out of the language of their (the Military’s) own studies and recommendations.”
— Dr. Mark Russell in STRANGER AT HOME
“I had no problem with the idea of killing. That’s Marine Corps training right there — take the civilian out and put the soldier in. Unfortunately, there was no un-training when I got back from Vietnam.”
— Dr. Charles Figley in STRANGER AT HOME
The Cast
Dr. Mark Russell, a retired Navy Commander and psychologist is the moral compass of the film. At the height of the Iraq Invasion, as the Navy’s decorated authority on PTS, he could no longer be complicit with Chain Of Command’s indifference about mental health and went public with this truth.
Dr. Charles Figley, a world-renowned trauma psychologist and former Sargeant in the Marine Corps is the documentary’s passionate “voice” for Vietnam War Veterans. Back home, he struggled with the psychological impact of his combat experience, which set him on a lifelong path to help those who serve recover from the invisible wounds of war.
Steven Elliott articulates the Military’s prevalent culture of mental health stigma in STRANGER AT HOME. His fateful deployment to Afghanistan in 2004, where he was directly involved in the friendly fire death of NFL star and fellow Army Ranger, Pat Tillman, changed the course of his life forever.
“A lie we Veterans tell ourselves is that we don’t want to bring what we experienced into the home. By the mere fact that we are in the home we’re bringing it in.”
— Steven Elliott in STRANGER AT HOME
The Producing Team
We’re a multiple award-winning production team who have worked together on film, TV and live-events projects for over twenty years. As a collective of producers, directors, writers, cinematographers and editors, we dedicate our creative resources and focus to stories that promote the betterment of humankind.
Beth Dolan
Lead Producer, Co-Director, Co-Writer
A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University’s conservatory theatre program, Beth began her writing-directing-producing career in the Manhattan stage world. In series television she has worked with socially conscious series creator icons Norman Lear (“Who’s The Boss”), Diane English (“Foley Square”, “Murphy Brown”) and Mike Milligan (“Los Beltran”). Through their mentorship she developed the belief that storytelling for the screen can have tremendous social impact and reach huge audiences.
Her company, Coyote Pass Productions, has overseen the development through completion of numerous award-winning projects, including national public service announcement campaigns, commercials and short form documentaries. Her feature length documentary, “Regreso”, an intimate, character driven story set against the unsettled political backdrop of today’s Cuba, enjoyed its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and continues to be screened by audiences worldwide. Beth is a member of The Writers Guild Of America, Women In Film and Supercharge Your Distribution, an international documentary filmmaking community headed by Peter Broderick and Keith Ochwat.
Luis Remesar
Producer, Co-Director, Co-Writer, Lead Editor
Luis, a native of Havana, Cuba, is a graduate of Columbia University where he studied film under both Andrew Sarris and Milos Forman. He began his directing career on the New York stage heading productions at the Provincetown Playhouse, The Fourth Wall Repertory Company, The No Smoking Playhouse and Lincoln Center. In series television he’s worked as a writer-director on numerous shows, including the Imagen Award winning situation comedy, “Los Beltran”, for Sony/Telemundo. For his short narrative film “Out Of Order”, he was awarded the Los Angeles City Council Award of Merit for positive representation of Latinos in film, and his full length documentary, “Regreso”, has been an audience favorite at top film festivals.
He has served on the faculty of the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory in New York City, as well the film and television department at UCLA. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America. As a professional editor Luis is expert on Davinici Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Media 100 and Avid platforms.
Sheila Higgins
Producer, Lead Cinematographer, Editor
Sheila has worked in multiple media genres as a producer, director, editor and cinematographer. As a cinematographer and producer she worked at E! Entertainment Television on such shows as “Extreme Closeup”, “The Gossip Show”, “FYE”, “E! True Hollywood Stories”, as well as the Oscars, Emmys and the Golden Globe Award productions and broadcasts. As an editor for Tribune-KTLA News and Special Projects, Sheila won the Greater Los Angeles Press Club Award for her editing, as well as the 26th Telly Award for “Backstage at The Rose Parade” and received an Emmy nomination for her work as the editor on the “International Rose Parade Pre-show.”
Her true storytelling passion is for documentary filmmaking, projects dedicated to raising awareness on major societal shaping topics and elevating the conversation about bettering the human experience. She’s been a key creative team member on acclaimed documentaries: “Our Story, Kids Get Cancer Too”, “Seeing Is Believing: The Inspiring Story of Rwanda”, “The Passion To Play, One Player’s Story” and “Singing Funny”.
“We are deeply thankful to the many Veterans and their family members who opened their hearts to us and shared their personal experiences. The stories that made it into the film are for all of them and for everyone who has served.”
— Beth Dolan & Luis Remesar/Co-Directors STRANGER AT HOME
