Flag Day

Directed by Melissa Shea

Set in the small farming community of Three Oaks, Michigan — home to the nation’s largest Flag Day parade — FLAG DAY is a verité portrait of ritual, identity, and belonging in an era of deep political division. Somewhere between tradition and transformation lies this village, whose annual parade has become a pageant of American aspiration and memory. Over the course of Flag Day weekend, the film immerses viewers in the lives of a diverse cross-section of townspeople: veterans, local business owners, marching bands, and volunteers who, for one weekend each June, create an event that is at once nostalgic and reflective of the tensions of our time. Their stories reveal both the beauty and the fragility of community life in a time of polarization. FLAG DAY was filmed in an observational, verité style, capturing moments of humor, conflict, and grace as the community prepares for its defining ritual.