‘Almost Sunrise’ screening explores depression, moral injury

FSU Panama City will explore moral injury with a documentary film screening of PBS’s “Almost Sunrise” and panel discussion at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, in the Holley Lecture Hall.

“Almost Sunrise” is a story of resilience and recovery. A feature-length documentary, the film follows two Iraq veterans, Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, as they struggle with depression upon returning home from military service. Fearful of succumbing to the epidemic of veteran suicide, they both seek a lifeline and embark on a 2,700-mile walk across America as a way to confront their inner pain.

The film captures an intimate portrait of two friends suffering from the unseen wounds of war as they discover an unlikely treatment: the restorative power of silence and meditation. A cinematic experience that juxtaposes the internal struggles of its characters against the wide-open spaces of America's heartland, “Almost Sunrise” is also the first film to explore moral injury — the profound shame that many veterans feel when their experiences of war violate their moral beliefs, and a possible critical factor in veteran suicide.

“‘Almost Sunrise’ explores the literal and emotional journey two veterans take to heal from the hidden wounds of war,” FSU Panama City counselor Nancy Mills said. “This serious, thought-provoking documentary is of particular benefit to veterans, their families and those in the community who work with veterans in understanding moral injury.”

This event is a collaboration with POV, the award-winning independent non-fiction film series on PBS www.pbs.org/pov.

The event is free and open to the public. Two CEUs available free for NASW members, $20 for non-members.