I never expected to become a documentary filmmaker, but like many people, a singular event altered my course, taking me down a very unexpected path.

— Anita Sugimura Holsapple,
Film Director, Combat Veteran Daughter

Book an Engagement

”“Watch it for those who lived through it and for those who continue to struggle with the aftermath of war.…”

— Lori AdamsCPM/Veterans Policy Director & NXl Sr. Advisor, National State Workforce Agencies (NASWA)
THE DIRECTOR

MY STORY
Anita Sugimura Holsapple

Anita created Battlefield: Home to recognize the challenges of her father and the demons he battled when he came home. Sharing her story, Anita sheds light on the layered impact of mental trauma and invisible wounds.

Anita, a combat Veteran’s daughter, with more than 20 years in the military system, provides candid and raw insight into military family life, as only someone who lived it can.

Anita holds an M.S. in conflict analysis & resolution. She also has degrees in sociology and psychology. Utilizing her degrees and experience she has trained in mediation, negotiation, facilitation, and methods of discovering root problems in conflict. She is also a Windmills© Certified Trainer.

Some of her speaking engagements include:

• SAMHSA Voice Awards (Best Documentary winner)
• The Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA
• NASWA (National Association of State Workforce Agencies) 2022 Veterans Conference
• University of California Neurotrauma Symposium

THE FILM

Battlefield: Home - Breaking The Silence is a visceral, raw tour de force documentary about the transition home for veterans with invisible wounds and the intensive aftermath to the family members who welcome them home.

Inspired by her trauma-laden family legacy, the daughter of a combat Marine, journeyed across this nation to give an intimate voice to war’s life-long consequences for those who battle the front lines.

By exposing the complexity of Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and the added frustration created by the systemic breakdown of services, “Battlefield: Home” illustrates the challenges that continue long after the uniform comes off.

About Our Film

Battlefield : Home – Breaking The Silence

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I never expected to become a documentary filmmaker, but like many people, a singular event altered my course, taking me down a very unexpected path.

When the planes hit the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, I knew it was only moments before our troops and military families would find themselves in a world of uncertainty and challenge.

My mother survived the bombing of Japan, and my dad served two combat tours in Vietnam, so being the daughter of a survivor of war and a warrior, I knew all too well the dynamics and questions that would impact our new military families.

After creating a research study during graduate school, I found myself wanting to use visual storytelling in order to enhance the dilemma that our post 9/11 troops and families were facing.

Were these families going to encounter the same roadblocks that we did? How would it impact the spouses…the children? What would their legacy of trauma be?

I found that despite time, the same issues that plagued my family continued to haunt this new generation of military families and I wanted to find a way to offer them a voice, a voice that my generation did not have. So in 2007, I bought a little Sony camera and began filming.

After 10 years, the film has finally been completed. What began as a discovery, ended with a revelation that despite the years, the stories are still the same, the issues are still the same…but so too is the heart of perseverance.

What differentiates this documentary from the many others that now pepper the landscape? Battlefield: Home – Breaking The Silence stems from the voice of a military child of war…a military Brat, one who has lived the life. One who has also lived through the devastation of war and its personal aftermath.

It will take a concerted effort to solve these continuing issues that create a ripple effect within everyone’s lives. This film is about changing the outcome for any person ever impacted by trauma, especially our military community.

War is human interaction no matter the degrees of separation…and that interaction leaves an imprint forever. Whether one is the warrior or the survivor, trauma shapes and defines us in how we see the world and each other.