SYNOPSIS
DAY ONE follows a group of teens from war zones in the Middle East and Africa, as they are resettled in St. Louis, MO and enrolled at a unique public school for refugees-only. Traumatized upon their arrival -- having survived war and years in refugee camps -- the kids are guided through an incredible program of healing, PTSD intervention, education and adjustment by the school's passionate and talented educators, some of whom have chosen to live with their families in the inner-city in order to be closer to their students.
Additional commentary is provided by Betsy Cohen of the St. Louis Mosaic Project and Anna Crosslin of the St. Louis International Institute. Led by these voices, the film explores the idea that opening doors to refugees is not only a humanitarian act, but also benefits local economies and creates diversity and excitement in our cities.
OUR TEAM
Lori Miller, Producer and Director, is a seasoned producer known for her award-winning documentaries about arts and culture: VIRTUOSITY (PBS), SHAKESPEARE HIGH (Tribeca FF, Showtime), and THEY CAME TO PLAY (New York Times Critics Pick). Her independent feature producing credits include: PANIC, THE LAST SUPPER, and PERFECT OPPOSITES. DAY ONE is Lori Miller's directing debut. She is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Brian O'Connell, Co-Producer and Director of Photography, is an NYU Film School graduate with wide-ranging experience in documentaries, commercials, and corporate films. He is the Director of Photography of the award-winning documentaries "THEY CAME TO PLAY" and "SHAKESPEARE HIGH". His latest documentary, "THE WOMEN IN THE SAND", about the Timbisha Shoshone tribe in Death Valley is currently being entered in festivals.
Kirt Eftekhar, Executive Producer, has nearly two decades of expertise in producing, financing, and theatrical distribution with vitally important event-driven and issue-based documentaries. Under his direction, award-winning films such as GLEN CAMPBELL...I'LL BE ME achieved critical and commercial success through traditional theatrical distribution, privately-hosted events, and sponsored nationwide tours.
Peter Tao, Executive Producer, from St. Louis and an architect by profession, is a community organizer and connector, deeply engaged with the St. Louis community in the areas of immigrants, refugees, culture, racial equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as the arts. Peter presently serves on the steering committee of the St. Louis Mosaic Project and was formally on the board of the International Institute of St. Louis.
David Beerman, Editor, is a Los Angeles based editor with over twelve years of experience working on feature films, trailers, television shows, music videos, and television commercials.
Tom Howe, Composer, is an award-winning composer from the UK who has scored over 70 Emmy and BAFTA-winning dramas and documentaries, including recent films like Aardman's animated feature "Early Man," directed by Nick Park and Annapurna Pictures' "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women," starring Luke Evans and Rebecca Hall. In addition to his film & TV projects, Tom has also written several international Top 40 hits, as a songwriter.