Zoom-in Online

Editor's Note: The following is a special off-season publication of On The Circuit.  We here at Zoom In Online were deeply moved by Aron and Gita's film and wish to support their touching story and ongoing effort to provide meaningful support to our troops serving overseas.

Prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine may not have been significant to anyone outside of the quiet city’s residents. However, now, nearly 6 six years after the advent of the war, the tiny airport has been the primary arrival and departure spot for troops returning from and leaving for the conflict in the Middle East, having seen nearly 1,000,000 troops pass through its corridors. Often times, these troops expect to arrive and depart with little fanfare and with no one to greet them but their families. Since 2003, there’s been a small contingent of people waiting at the airport during every flight to shatter these expectations.

The Way We Get By, the SXSW Special Jury Prize winner, follows the daily activities of three elderly citizens who have made it their business to meet and show their appreciation to every single troop passing through Bangor International despite their own physical and emotional deficiencies. In this On the Circuit interview, director Aron Gaudet and producer Gita Pullapilly talk about crafting a patriotic film devoid of politics, the unfortunate tendency for us to neglect both our elders and our soliders and what factors exist to enable these two contrasting groups to develop such a rapport and connection.

For more information, visit the film’s website at www.thewaywegetbymovie.com and www.themainetroopgreeters.com