Small-town Georgia film delivers big message on democracy

On a day set aside to celebrate democracy, The Carter Center chose to make a film about two people who disagree.

That’s the provocation at the heart of “Common Ground,” a short film released Monday by the Atlanta-based organization to mark International Day of Democracy and National Voter Registration Day. Directed and written by Nate Townsend and shot on Super 16mm film in and around Folkston, Georgia, the film depicts two people exercising their right to disagree — and choosing to participate in democracy together anyway. Its central message is plain: “We don’t have to agree to get along.”

The release comes with midterm elections a few months out and, by the Carter Center’s own framing, a country that “feels increasingly divided.”

The film is one piece of a broader push. The Carter Center also used the occasion to highlight its Democracy Resilience Networks, a program operating across seven states that brings together trusted leaders from across the political spectrum. The networks are locally driven and co-led by people from different sides of the political aisle — participants who may not agree on policy but share a commitment to democratic ideals and peaceful dialogue. The work, as the Carter Center describes it, centers on listening respectfully, disagreeing agreeably, and resisting the urge to dismiss the other side entirely.

You can watch the video below.

The Carter Center encouraged every eligible American to register and vote ahead of the coming election season.

Founded in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in partnership with Emory University, the Carter Center is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization that has worked in over 90 countries on issues ranging from conflict resolution and democratic development to disease prevention and mental health care.