An Unflinching Eye Sets The Stage For The Sweetest Land, Directed by Jeffrey Teitler
Whether you live in New York City or Roswell New Mexico, gun violence has become a nationwide epidemic. Through extensive research and lengthy persistence, Jeffrey Teitler examines an often overlooked side of this issue; prevention. We talked with the director/professor about process and the lessons he learned while making this film.
LOWER EAST SIDE FILM FESTIVAL: YOUR FILM FEELS LIKE A NEW TAKE ON A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE IN OUR SOCIETY, WHERE DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO MAKE THIS FILM?
Jeffrey Teitler: Living in Connecticut, few would deny the devastating toll that a gun or knife can have. Exploring this, for years I spent nights and weekends in one of America’s most violent cities. Quickly realizing how much there was to learn, an entirely different story and unlikely findings emerged.
Hartford is Connecticut’s Capitol City, a location where gun violence prevention remains a hot topic. But within the inner city, finding any social service organizations or violence prevention initiatives, which offered substantial opportunities for those most at-risk or in-need, became difficult. Moreover, as urban victims of violence and families were consistently abandoned from mental health services, job training and life skills, it begged the question, who is good…and what do we stand for?
LESFF: YOU HAVE AMAZING ACCESS TO YOUR CHARACTERS IN THE FILM. HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT GAINING THIS ACCESS?
JT: Thank you! Persistence was the key. We began slow with one reverend, whose work focused on victims of violence. As I was gathering a mass of images and stories, it grew into something that inspired other organizations…but none of it came easy. We were rejected regularly. Wanting multiple perspectives, as I was filming on one story, my colleagues and producers, Dr. Serafin Mendez-Mendez and Ron Kowalczyk, were gaining access to others.
During the process, I met many extraordinary people – most during their worst of times. On the other hand, there were days when multiple gunshots victims arrived in the emergency room and instantly you see great changes. Uncontrollable bleeding is met with the best, life-saving efforts. In a moment, a space transforms as a mass of highly skilled, extensively trained individuals rush to save a life. That is a powerful reality of what our system can accomplish.
LESFF: WERE THERE ANY SURPRISES THAT CAME UP WHILE MAKING THIS FILM?
JT: Lesson 1: Abandon preconceived notions. Surprises occurred all the time… While filming at the trauma center, I thought gaining the trust of gunshot victims and their families would be challenging. The notion of requesting permission was extraordinarily humbling. But my assumptions were wrong. Over 90% of the victims I filmed (and there were many) not only signed on, but were glad filming was occurring. They gave revealing and private glimpses into their families, vulnerable moments, treatment and humanity. Instant bonds occurred ripping through stereotypes and forming meaningful relationships. They still last today.
LESSON 2: RISK: Frustrated with the lack of mental health counselors, victims’ services, prevention providers, etc., I wrote the CDC’s Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Understanding that local NGO’s were not returning my calls, surely the director of a major federal public health institute would be just as absent. Yet, within a week, I received a message from Dr. Linda DeGutis, (the CDC’s director). DeGutis was not only fully engaged, but she also invited a test screening of the film at the CDC. There are good and responsive people working in prevention.
LESSON 3: HOPE. After years of filming, my hard-drives were filled with live shootouts, murders and a mass of preventable urban pain. The weight of developing something meaningful from this was ever-present. As a small micro production, I edited for many years and the task of telling a story which is actionable and meaningful was daunting. To help with feedback, we privately tested the film at a number of institutes. Yet, it was during one test-screening, where I observed a film participant, (a victim of gun violence who nearly died years ago), end up speaking with the film at the most prestigious law school in the land, (Harvard). It revealed the power of a story.
LESFF: THE RESEARCH REALLY SHOWS IN THIS FILM. HOW LONG WAS THE RESEARCH PROCESS FOR YOUR FILM?
JT: Recognizing lacking prevention methods and absent victims’ services by social service organizations, was not something I anticipated seeing. In fact, it wasn’t a story I wanted to tell. Perhaps it was just a few complacent leaders or prevention initiatives gone wrong. I tried many times to dismiss the anecdotal evidence, which kept repeating itself. But when you see a youth or good family in-need, ignored by services, which can make all the difference in their futures, it gets to you. I started research with small searches on prevention and found a CNN report about the City of Chicago, which spent (or misspent) 55 million dollars on random violence prevention initiatives as the murder rate continued. Additional searches revealed that some well-funded, nationally known violence prevention initiatives, increased rates of violence, but who is watching? That’s when I saw the Blue Prints study, which placed much of what I saw in perspective. That research also inspired our connections with leading prevention scientists, such as Dr. DeGutis, who is now the film’s official advisor.
Looking back, there are so many ways to tell the story of urban violence. However, I don’t know of any current story that focuses on this issue of prevention. Telling that story, based in the best available evidence, our hope is to inspire conversations, which can save lives and improve policies. We are so honored to have been selected within the Lower East Side Film Festival.
Article by Josh Greenwood
On behalf of the cast and crew of The Sweetest Land, we would like to the Lower East Side Film Festival for the recognition and desire to bring a new conversation to NYC.
Brown, who founded Mothers United Against Violence in 2003, agreed. “We’re forgotten in our own community. We are a forgotten people,” Brown said. “It’s frustrating to see the different response among different groups of people. We don’t have that support because we’re people of color.”
Featured at The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY, we are so pleased to announce that THE SWEETEST LAND was the festival winner at Queens World Film Festival. Thank you, 
Studies show that roughly 2 percent of Hartford’s population commits most of the criminal acts. From firsthand experience, I know historically, and most likely now, there has been no plan for a brighter future or any extensive efforts to effectively reach those individuals (or those who will become that 2 percent). Much of what you hear are band-aid fixes, new program names and reliance on “hope” for what I see as a chronic sucking chest wound within the city.
We all have advocated for more resources and jobs at one time or another. But even successful prevention programs cannot compensate for the many other funded programs that repeatedly fail our youths, do not advance practice and provide low quality care for those in dire need. Overall, there is a gaping lack of accountability and oversight within these prevention initiatives, their methods and outcomes. We lose lives, miss opportunities and misspend millions without quality assurances and studied results. For example, crime prevention nonprofits submit self-evaluations and self-monitoring reports to receive funding while few watch for accuracy, data proof and outcome. I’ve seen it.
Many years ago, I presented a number of ideas to then-Mayor Eddie Perez, which I believe could have changed Hartford’s dynamic; one of them being a citywide referral database by which all nonprofits receiving funding within the city would be required to register and share information with each other. This could help our community to better assess and serve youth and families in much more comprehensive ways, while providing the services they need. I also suggested we use out-of-state evaluators, who have no political ties or agendas. Doing this would ensure true compliance, value and service for the millions of prevention dollars being flooded into the same sections of the city. While I received no response from my presentation, it is more important to acknowledge that Hartford is not advancing as much as it should. In fact, history is repeating itself.
I was mad. I had thoughts of retaliation. So did my friends. Although ours might be a typical response to trauma (or a preventable future act of violence), there were no follow-up services from any community-based organization or gun violence intervention program offered to my family, friends or me. In fact, aside from one underfunded reverend, several mothers who also lost their children to violence, and my family, there was no one to help.
Through private consultations with research-based organizations, a rough cut of THE SWEETEST LAND was presented to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center’s Injury Prevention Center. In a rare and brave statement, the Center’s Director, Gary Lapidus wrote the following:
Gary Lapidus PA-C, MPH – Director Injury Prevention Center – Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health, University of Connecticut’s School of Medici
Film for me at CCSU has changed my thoughts and perception of production. I have gone beyond the fear of handling the camera and approaching subjects. Most recently, through film, I explored issues of gender and identity in an extremely personal way. This resulted in over 6000 views within week of posting and a mass of positive feedback on issues of gender.