About this project

HEAL AMERICA is a new documentary that demonstrates the possibility of healing racial, social, and historical wounds that torment America and the world today.

It begins with a journey. The journey of one flamboyant yet truly genuine American—Ted Hayes. A prominent, African-American homeless advocate, Ted Hayes has lived for the concept of one America—a just brotherhood and sisterhood of races, a shelter for the homeless souls of the world—for many years.

Having witnessing the devastation of the Downtown Los Angeles skid row, Ted gave up his possessions and family life and became homeless in order to understand homelessness and try to heal it from within. He inspired the homeless to self-organize into a community where they took care of each other and learned self-reliance. This street self-organization eventually led to the creation of the Dome Village, a homeless shelter unlike any other.

Drawing from his life among the homeless for more than eight years, Ted avoided the mistakes of institutional shelters. He realized that merely feeding and providing a temporary mass dwelling could not solve the problem. The Dome Village became a community where homeless people lived together, learned how to be responsible for each other and gradually re-integrated into society. In its 15 years of existence, The Dome Village proved to be an island of peace for the desperate and a model for genuine, effective healing.

Working with human nature at its most miserable and dire state inspired Ted to take his message of healing onto a larger scale – aimed at the wounds of a nation and a society, the racial and political wounds that cause many non-literal forms of homelessness.

America craves a new perspective on the racial and social issues that divide it in our time. Most social controversies of the moment come from past wounds and forgotten histories—wounds that no modern political solution, manipulated by one special interest or another, can hope to cure. Far from fostering good faith and honest discussion, the race and “bad blood” business tends only to deepen our animosities for the sake of its own prosperity.

HEAL AMERICA will follow the idealistic Ted Hayes and his hilariously skeptical sidekick through various hotbeds of American conflict: from the skid rows of Los Angeles and New York, to the Katrina carnage of New Orleans, to an immigration hotspot along the Mexican border, the industrial ruins of Detroit, a Civil War battlefield, Hopi/Navajo reservations, Washington D.C, and many smaller stops and interviews in between.

In its entertaining variety, scope, and unpredictability, HEAL AMERICA will carve out a powerful, emotional road that cuts through the veneer of political correctness. Ted Hayes and his sidekick will be Don Quixote and Sancho Panza—on a mission to promote a society truly free from the bondage of racial and cultural manipulation, by appealing to the common sense of Americans from every walk of life. 

HEAL AMERICA is more than a documentary. It is a journey and a movement -- one that ultimately begins with you.

NEXT CRUCIAL STEPS

We have filmed some scenes in Los Angeles which confirmed our belief in the healing power of our journey. Not only people in front of the camera but also our crew members have had life transforming experiences. People want to hear the truth. Our footage proves the power of honest confrontation.

Through the initial filming, we have also realized some of our technical challenges and limitations. Heal America is not a scripted documentary but an interaction with real people in real situations. The lack of a second camera and an extra sound device did not allow us to capture these interactions fully. Many revealing conversations and subtleties were lost. With your help we can fix this problem and deliver a more powerful coverage.

We, the creators of Heal America, are not being paid for our work. Your money will be used for specific purposes:

YOUR INVESTMENT

Every dollar raised with your help and otherwise will be used for three particular stages:

1. Production: to hire the second camera and sound crew, to cover the costs of traveling and filming in various hotspots across the country.
2. Post-Production: this is a very long and scrupulous process that requires online editing of hours of footage into a condensed powerful piece, as well as hiring color correction specialists and sound designers. We will make sure to use all of our professional connections to cut costs, but the sheer amount of time and work requires a certain budget.
3. Distribution: We have generated interest and commitments from promoters of socially conscious documentaries. We intend our message to reach large audiences and to ensure this we need resources to deliver the completed film to the right outlets. Your donations will help everything from DVD production to hiring a sales agent to license it to TV stations and much more.

You can also help by spreading the word about this film and the movement.

CAN WE EXCEED OUR TARGET?

Absolutely. The more money we raise the more efficiently we can move toward the completion of the film. Our estimated budget is more than triple our Kickstarter goal—and we have already poured thousands out of our own pockets to fund the initial local stages of the project. The $25,000 goal is just enough to keep us going—and we fully hope the generous Kickstarter community can take us even closer to the finish line.
This film has no studio or institutional support.

The premise of Heal America is that we the people have to take responsibility for solving our problems as a nation and individuals. So we solely depend on your support to make this film, to take this first step together toward a real and continuous healing.

If you have any further questions about our project, donation gifts, or anything else, please email kochar@rebellight.com