Home » Events » Director's Dialogue on Art and Social Change Featuring "Return," a Film by Liza Johnson

Director's Dialogue on Art and Social Change Featuring "Return," a Film by Liza Johnson

Presented by Wexner Center for the Arts

Our 2012 Director's Dialogue is inspired by "Return", a powerful new film directed by Ohio native Liza Johnson that offers a compelling portrait of a woman returning to her small southern Ohio town after a military tour of duty.

After a screening of the film, director Johnson joins distinguished guests who are active in women veterans' affairs for a panel discussion. The panelists will address issues female veterans face as they reenter domestic life, some shared with other vets and others specific to women, as well as the ever-expanding role of women in the U.S. military.

Our panelists include filmmaker Liza Johnson; Judith Broder, founder and director of The Soldiers Project and a 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal recipient; and Ken Harbaugh, a former U.S. Navy pilot, executive director of ServiceNation, and cofounder of The Mission Continues. Ann Fisher, host of WOSU's All Sides, will moderate.

"Return," Johnson's debut feature, was the only American film selected for the 2011 edition of the prestigious Director's Fortnight series, held in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival. Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks, ER, Brokeback Mountain) gives an outstanding performance as Kelli, the returning veteran whose enthusiasm for getting back to her normal life soon turns into an overwhelming sense of dislocation. Full of astute observations and extraordinary performances, "Return" is not only one of the year's strongest independent films but one of the most unusual female character studies in recent memory. Other featured actors include Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Take Shelter, Boardwalk Empire) and John Slattery (Mad Men). (97 mins., video)