About the film
Made in response to the times we are living in, THE ANTIDOTE is a feature documentary that weaves together stories of kindness, decency, and the power of community in America.
The Antidote is about everyday people who make the intentional choice to lift others up, despite the fundamentally unkind ways of our society, which are at once facts of life in America and yet deeply antithetical to our founding ideals.
Directed by Academy Award-nominee, Kahane Cooperman, and six-time Emmy winner, John Hoffman, THE ANTIDOTE aims to drive a national conversation about the roles that kindness, decency, compassion and respect play in a civilized, democratic society.
While it’s easy to court despair in the face of monumental, structural problems, THE ANTIDOTE tells stories of compassionate people intentionally leveraging the resources within themselves and their communities to give others a chance at a better life.
THE ANTIDOTE isn’t about an idea or a policy; it is about how we treat each other. It is about who we are, or maybe, who we can be.
Stories from the Film
In Indianapolis, Indiana, a community organizer achieves meaningful change by bringing out the gifts and talents of his neighbors in this overlooked, misunderstood part of town.
In Amarillo, Texas, a single mother struggles to pay the bills and get a community college degree, knowing it’s her best shot of getting out of poverty, into a living wage job, and a better life for herself and her son. Aware of the challenges facing his students, the college’s president has made it the school’s responsibility to remove the barriers his students face, empowering a team of social workers to support them emotionally and financially.
In Boston, Massachusetts, a nurse invites homeless people into her clinic for the simple purpose of soaking their feet, knowing that this tender act is the gateway to providing comprehensive healthcare for these people. Meanwhile, a doctor who has been caring for the homeless for 35 years, cares for his patients in the parks, train stations and streets of Boston, where they try to survive.
In wintery Anchorage, Alaska, family members from the Democratic Republic of Congo arrive after 17 years in a Rwandan refugee camp. The local refugee resettlement agency brings together the entire community to make this family’s transition as welcoming as possible.
In Sullivan County, NY, exceptional care to both children and adults with the most medically complex disabilities through a nature-based education program which has been adapted to highlight the abilities and potential of each child and adult, integrating them into the local town down the road to create a beautiful model of inclusion, and enabling the residents to live to their fullest potential.
In Decatur, Georgia, a once-traditional Southern Baptist church has paved a path towards inclusiveness for all its congregants. In a Sunday bible class led by an influential Christian ethicist, members of this church, including the LGBTQ+ community, help us understand the significance of this church’s major steps towards acceptance.
First Baptist Church of Decatur
In Modesto, California, the only public school district in the country to require a class on world religions to graduate from high school, a veteran social studies teacher teaches ninth graders how to respectfully engage with different ideas, cultures, and beliefs simply by learning more about them with the intention of creating more open-minded, accepting young adults.
In Portland, Oregon, both elderly people, youth in foster care and their adoptive families live and thrive together in an intergenerational community that meets the myriad needs of all of these groups through their deep relationships with each other.
In Seattle, Washington, fourth graders observe and describe a baby’s emotional evolution during monthly classroom visits, and, in so doing, develop their own emotional literacy and empathetic abilities.
Produced and Directed by Kahane Cooperman and John Hoffman Supervising Producer Andrea Berman Producer Jennifer Galvin Associate Producer Peter Nauffts Executive Producers Lloyd Dean Charlie Francis John Hoffman Jon Kamen Mark Klein Co-Producers Eric Brown Jules Ho Jennifer Hoos-Rothberg Ruth Wooden Edited by Armando Croda Andrew Saunderson Music By Nathan Halpern Chris Ruggiero Director of Photography Matt Porwoll Sound Recordist Peter Miller Additional Editing by J. Xavier Velasco Post Supervisor Nick Scherma A Presentation of BETTER WORLD PROJECTS RADICALMEDIA DIGNITY HEALTH In Association With ANDREW NIKOU FOUNDATION THE DEERBROOK CHARITABLE TRUST EINHORN COLLABORATIVE WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION
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