“The Welcome,” an award-winning documentary about the fear, anger and isolation of post-traumatic stress that affects veterans and their families after war, will be screened from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 21 in the Great Hall at Pierce College.

The screening will be followed a week later with a discussion led by the film’s creator, Bill McMillan, from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 28 in the Great Hall.

Both events are part of “March with Media Arts,” a month-long series of free activities hosted by the Pierce College Media Arts Department and Career and Transfer Center. Pizza and light refreshments will be served.

McMillan’s documentary is the result of The Welcome Home Project he started with his wife Kim Shelton. McMillan is a licensed marriage and family therapist whose work has focused on helping traumatized teens, families and communities, according to his website. In 2007, he shifted focus to help veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He and his wife’s project brought together veterans and family members from wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam for a five-day healing retreat, which is the subject of the film “The Welcome.”

Parking is available for $2 in Lot 1, near the Sheriff’s Station off Brahma Drive and Winnetka Avenue. The events are open to the public, students, faculty and staff. Faculty can receive Flex Credit for attending.

Film Synopsis, from www.thewelcomethemovie.com:

“The Welcome offers a fiercely intimate view of life after war: the fear, anger and isolation of post-traumatic stress that affects vets and family members alike.  As we join these vets in a small room for an unusual five day healing retreat, we witness how the ruins of war can be transformed into the beauty of poetry. Here our perceptions are changed, our psyches strained, and our hearts broken.  And at the end, when this poetry is shared with a large civilian audience, we begin to understand that  all of us are a vital piece of the Welcome as Veterans try to find the way back home.  Their examples of unflinching honesty, courage and love lift us up, inspiring all of us once again to feel our common humanity, always the first casualty of war.”

Awards to date:

Audience Award, Feature Documentary – Ashland Independent Film Festival, 2011

Audience Favorite Award, Feature Documentary – Mill Valley Film Festival, 2011

Audience Award, Feature Documentary – Naples International Film Festival, 2011

Best American Feature Documentary – Ojai Film Festival, 2011

Best Dramatic Documentary, US – Docufest Atlanta, 2011

Interfaith Award, Feature Documentary – St. Louis International Film Festival, 2011