The Amish: Shunned will premiere on WTCI, Chattanooga’s community PBS station, at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The documentary was written, directed and produced by Chattanooga native Callie Taintor Wiser.
Review for The Amish: Shunned:
The Amish: Shunned is a poignant and penetrating look at what it means to be cut off from faith and family. Following seven people who chose to leave their closed and tightly knit communities, this ground-breaking documentary weaves their stories together with the voices of staunchly loyal Amish men and women.
Exploring what is gained and what is lost when community and tradition are exchanged for individuality and freedom, this sympathetic portrayal of both sides was artfully produced by Ms. Wiser. Many who leave their Amish community face daunting obstacles, language barriers and don’t even have identification documents that enable them to get jobs, seek higher education or participate as active citizens.
“The film is an emotional roller coaster through a set of universal experiences that anyone can understand, even if they’re not Amish,” said Mark Samels, executive producer of American Experience.
Ms. Wiser grew up on Signal Mountain and graduated from Baylor. She was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina, lives in Massachusetts and works regularly for WGBH. A political science and journalism major, Ms. Wiser has worked with the PBS series Frontline and has produced other American Experience films – God in America, and The Amish.
Tune in to WGOW, Talk Radio 102.3 on Wednesday at 11 a.m. to hear Jeff Styles and Ms. Wiser talking about growing up in Chattanooga and translating those experiences to producing insightful documentaries.