Throughout the month of July 2026, in alignment with America’s 250th Anniversary – community spaces across the country are inviting local audiences to participate in the third annual Better Together Film Festival. The festival aims to shift the culture of the country away from division and toward cohesion and hope.
In Hattiesburg, the Center for Community Engagement at The University of Southern Mississippi, in partnership with Parkway Heights United Methodist Church and the Listen First Coalition, is hosting a free screening of the film Abraham’s Bridge. The screening will be held on July 16 at 6:00 p.m. at Parkway Heights, 2420 Hardy Street, and will be followed by a facilitated dialogue on what is lost when we are divided and how we can work together, despite our differences, to improve our communities. The local theme for Hattiesburg’s Film & Discussion is “Better Together, Despite Ourselves.”
The film Abraham’s Bridge chronicles the construction of a mosque, synagogue, church, and interfaith center on 38 acres in Omaha: connected by a circular wooden bridge, a vast donation garden, and a quietly disruptive vision, Tri-Faith seeks to cross boundaries and build new forms of engagement. Yet they must also confront difficult questions about the limits of the Abrahamic model, declining affiliation, and the rising currents of division. After October 7, 2023, they can no longer avoid the topic of Israel/Palestine and must find a way forward.
Abraham’s Bridge follows the Tri-Faith Initiative from an initial idea in 2005 to the present day, as diverse communities work together to construct their dream, confront unanticipated challenges, and look towards an uncertain future.
At just 36 minutes in length, this award-winning short documentary is a compelling visual case study of grassroots interfaith engagement in America. It provides multiple points of access for discussion and is suitable for all audiences. For more information, visit: abridgefilm.com
Community members are invited to attend the screening event and stick around for the conversation that will inspire strength and spark connections across differences. Register here to attend.
“Now is a time for Americans to hear, see, and experience stories of people coming together across their differences to solve problems together in their neighborhoods and in their communities. As a nation we must choose curiosity over contempt, dialogue over demonization, and empathy over apathy,” says Karissa Raskin, CEO of Listen First Project. “The Better Together Film Festival offers this opportunity by inspiring strength and sparking conversation among neighbors so we can turn down the heat and find a way forward together.”
“it’s important to sit across the table from someone who thinks differently and learn a little about why they think that way, rather than assume they are a bad person or that you have nothing in common with them,” says Christy Kayser, director of USM’s Center for Community Engagement. “We all wish for our communities to be better places to live and work, but we must consider every person’s perspective in order to do that successfully.”
The Better Together Film Festival is a campaign by the Listen First Coalition, a network of over 550 organizations across America working to turn down the heat of division and build trust, understanding, belonging and solutions in our communities. The festival is supported by the donations and volunteer hours of Americans committed to the bridging movement.