Grace Cathedral

Ahmad and Mona sit in the back of a car moving through a nondescript landscape.

“I always said I’d take you to France,” Ahmad says.

“And I said Syria was good enough for me.” Mona replies.

His smile contains a twinkle of mischief. “But still, I got you to France.”

Mona laughs as their fingers interlace.

– From “On the Bride’s Side,” screening Sunday, July 16 in Wilsey.

We’re sharing a moment of Ahmad and Mona’s journey together – the journey of a long marriage, the journey of a shared life in political activism, and right now, the journey to safe asylum in a new land, full of both fear and promise. It’s a journey with high stakes, and we’re privileged to witness it.

Our summer social justice film series invites us into stories of people like Ahmad and Mona, struggling with hope and humor towards a life that offers dignity, opportunity and justice for all. We’ll walk with grieving mothers, drag queens, journalists, NRA members, historians and bartenders as we seek to understand how our own stories braid into the struggle for justice, and where we might be called to action.

Four gifted filmmakers have given us unique perspectives on the challenges of our times, and the people who are most immediately impacted by them. We hope that these stories – harrowing, surprising, full of persistence and heartbreak – will invite you deeper into your own journey, reminding you how many wonderful people are traveling with you – as well as how far we have to go.