Opt-In Moments: How Cinema Reveals Where Intervention Matters

This session explores the power of “Sliding Door” narratives, those pivotal moments when a single choice can lead to radically different futures. The filmmakers behind Take Me Home demonstrate how cinematic storytelling can illuminate these turning points and reveal the emotional stakes and hidden crossroads families face in moments of crisis.

We then connect these narrative insights to the real-world work of the Doris Duke Foundation’s Opt-In for Families initiative, which identifies the same critical junctures and offers early, voluntary support before crises escalate. Together, the panel shows how story can help audiences recognize where intervention matters and how programs like Opt-In are transforming those insights into meaningful change.

Moderator: Ali Ahn, Cast, Take Me Home

Speakers:

• Liz Sargent, Director & Writer, Take me Home
• Ai-Jen Poo, Executive Director, Caring Across Generations, National Domestic Workers Alliance
• Lydia Storie, Head of Content for Give Not Take Media
• Jodi Hill-Lilly, Program Director for Child Well-being, Doris Duke Foundation