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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
TONY AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER
MARA ISAACS ANNOUNCES
“I FEEL MYSELF TO BE PART OF SOMETHING”
A NEW DOCUMENTARY ANTHOLOGY
FIVE AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKERS;
FIVE COMMUNITIES;
ONE INSPIRING NATIONWIDE CONVERSATION ON
THE POWER OF THE ARTS TO BUILD COMMUNITY
GROUNDBREAKING DISTRIBUTION MODEL WILL MAKE THE FILMS AVAILABLE FREE TO EVERY COMMUNITY ARTS ORGANIZATION IN THE U.S.
New York, NY (June 11, 2025) – Tony Award-winning producer Mara Isaacs (Gypsy, Hadestown) today announced the launch of a new documentary anthology about the impact of the arts in America titled I Feel Myself to Be Part of Something. The inaugural films in the anthology will follow five distinct American communities and explore the impact of the arts—on their economies, their identities, and their sense of belonging.
To download a first look at the opening sequence of the films, please click here.
Each film will premiere through a groundbreaking Community First Distribution Model—prioritizing screenings in the very communities where the stories were filmed. Following each Community First screening, the collaborative will partner with regional film festivals, where applicable, prior to making the films available at no cost to local arts organizations and community centers throughout the country, accompanied by a screening guide and handbook to help spur local engagement, dialogue, and support.
“For years, we’ve relied on statistics to prove the value of the arts—but numbers alone can’t capture what it means to truly feel their impact,” said producer Mara Isaacs. “I believed that storytelling—real stories, from real communities—could make that case in a way data never could. That’s how this project was born.”
“With the launch of the first five films in our anthology of the arts in communities across America, we know we are just scratching the surface. We look forward to finding other stories that show what the arts do, in other states across the country,” say Isaac’s colleagues, producers Sara Terry and Lou Pepe. “This anthology will be a lasting narrative record of how the arts help uplift and define our humanity.”
2025 PREMIERES
The Feeling of Home
Directed by Sara Terry (A Decent Home, Fambul Tok)
Set in White Sulphur Springs, MT (population 987—give or take), this film spotlights the Red Ants Pants Music Festival and its role in revitalizing the town’s economy while offering a rare place for red and blue communities to come together.Community First Premiere: July 24, 2025 at the Strand Theatre in White Sulphur Springs.
We Lift Each Other
Directed by Lou Pepe (Lost in La Mancha, The Bad Kids)
Follows Black Box Dance Theatre in North Carolina and their work with veterans, exploring how movement and expression can support healing, connection, and belonging.
Community First Premiere: Veterans Day 2025, in collaboration with RiverRun Film Festival.
2026 PREMIERES
Growing Leaders
Directed by Kahlil Hudson (Blood & Myth, Wildland)
Explores an after-school arts program in Española, NM that empowers youth as a source of strength in a community facing multi-generational challenges.
A Vision of the Future
Directed by Melanie D’Andrea (Four episodes, TV series, “Vuelve a Mi”)
Follows Oakland muralist Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith, whose public artworks amplify values of racial equity, justice, and liberation in her community.
The Wisdom of Community
Directed by Margaret Byrne (Any Given Day, Raising Bertie)
Profiles the In[HEIR]itance Theater Project and their work co-creating plays with South Side Chicago residents to address neighborhood issues and foster civic dialogue.
“I Feel Myself to be Part of Something” is produced by Mara Isaacs, Sara Terry and Lou Pepe. Dana Goldberg is Co-producer. Executive Producers: Thomas M. Neff, Christine Schwarzman. Funding provided by Octoverse Media, The Ford Foundation, the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation and private donors.
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