As a filmmaker, I work to tell stories with my own artistic twist. Most of my work has been focused on simple stories, such as how I like the sound that rain makes when it falls, but some stories are smaller pieces of a bigger story. Last winter, when my father asked me if I wanted to go to D.C. for the Women's March I got a chance to do just that.
This film was the result of that trip.
The protest was the largest nationwide protest in American history, and as someone who has been making films since fifth grade, how was I not supposed to bring my camera?
Most news coverage of the march featured aerial views of the gigantic crowds and interviews with individuals from all over the country, while my film simply follows my trip. My father and I were regular people who went to an event that was bigger than either of us.
Even though I was unable to vote in the past election, my life will be impacted by the result of it, and that's why I cared enough to miss a few hours of a rehearsal to travel for hours just to be in D.C. for the march. I wanted to go because my voice was unable to be heard in the voting booth, but I could make it heard on the streets. It was important for me and everybody else that marched nationwide to show that we all care about the state of our country and that we support each other in times when support may be hard to find.
The thing that I found to be more impressive than anything else was that the protest stayed peaceful. When so many people get together to talk about something that they are so passionate about, it would not be surprising if some sort of violence broke out. But that didn't happen.
When people were chanting in front of the White House, there were active efforts to make sure that gardens and fences didn't get trampled. This made it so that the officers who were patrolling the march were able to enjoy themselves. One of them was even holding a pink hat and waving at protesters as we walked to the rally before the march.
It was absolutely incredible to see so many people from different places across the country come together to march for something that they believe in.
Ross Cobo-Lewis is a student at Orono High School. His documentary on the march received an honorable mention in the 2017 Maine Student Film and Video Festival.