Virginia Film Festival

From celebrated Charlottesville director Chris Farina comes a documentary about the power of overcoming hardship, building community, and remaining resilient.

A Bridge to Life is a portrait of an organization that for years has been working to change and save the lives of men dealing with life-threatening addiction issues. The men receive intensive job-training skills along with psychological and spiritual mentoring to give them a chance to return to society as successful community and family members. Interwoven throughout this film is the inspiring story of William Washington, the founder and Executive Director of the Bridge Ministry. Having suffered serious trauma as a child, this led to him becoming a homeless teenager on the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, as both a user and seller of deadly drugs. He was incarcerated more than once, and while eventually facing a long-term prison sentence, he was given a chance by a compassionate judge to enter a program that positively altered his life. Uplifted by this experience, he dedicated his own life to helping others who faced the same troubled path that he had been on.

Screening followed by a conversation with three of the key organizers of the Bridge Ministry—William Washington (founder and executive director), Jay James (assistant director) and Jay Swett (board member).