TICKETS: FREE!

with a suggested donation.
Doors at 6:30 p.m.; Film at 7 p.m.; 30 min Q&A directly following

Click here to learn more about accessibility at the Tomorrow Theater. 

THE EXPERIENCE

Join nonprofit organization Maybelle Center for a screening Robert Putnam’s film Join or Die, a documentary about why you should join a club and why the fate of America depends on it. Special post-screening virtual Q&A with the filmmakers. Tabling from nonprofit Maybelle Center will be present, along with an introduction from the organization’s Executive Director, Michelle Meyer.

ON SCREEN: Join or Die

2023. Directed by Pete Davis & Rebecca Davis . Runtime: 1hr 39m

This feature documentary follows a half-century of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into the decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… What can we do about it?

YOUR HOSTS

Maybelle Center’s mission is to create inclusive opportunities to experience belonging that help reverse human isolation and its root causes, so people feel like they matter and play a role in our shared future. We envision a city where all people experience a sense of belonging — including Portlanders living with mental illness or economic poverty. Maybelle Center is the community health organization working together with neighbors in downtown Portland to reverse the root causes of social isolation. We promote social health by helping create a sense of belonging with adults facing the stigmas of mental health and financial poverty through our neighborhood programs in affordable housing and assisted living services.

FILMMAKERS

Delevan Street Films A sister-brother team from Falls Church, Virginia focused on producing media in service of civic renewal.

REBECCA DAVIS | Director & Producer

Rebecca Davis has produced for HBO, VICE, Al Jazeera and A&E — and was the supervising producer for Season 2 of Vox’s hit Netflix show, Explained. She was a senior producer with NBC News for nearly a decade, where her work focused on social movements, environmental and economic justice, and community innovators. Join or Die is her first feature-length documentary.

PETE DAVIS | Director & Producer

Pete Davis is a writer and civic advocate — and a former student of Robert Putnam’s. He is the author of Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in An Age of Infinite Browsing and the co-founder of the Democracy Policy Network, a policy organization focused on raising up ideas that deepen democracy.

Awards:
Jury Prize for Best Feature — SFDocFest
Best Documentary Feature — Capital City Film Festival
Audience Award — History Film Festival
Jonathan Daniels Award — MONIFF
Best Feature Documentary — Jacksonville Film Festival
Best Documentary Film — New Jersey Film Festival
Emerging Filmmaker Award — Chagrin
Documentary Film Festival
Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Editing — Dunedin
International Film Festival
Audience Award For Best Documentary Feature — Lake County Film Festival

Notable Screenings:
Clinton Presidential Center with Hillary Clinton
Congressional Auditorium Screening with Surgeon General Dr. VIvek Murthy and Senator Chris Murphy
DC Premiere at Georgetown’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life
The Aspen Institute’s Initiative on Philosophy and Society
Civic Cinema with Boston Mayor’s Office
Stanford’s Century Summit
Harvard’s Building Connected Communities Conference
Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion
Tallahassee’s Village Square Series
Notre Dame Forum