Bess O’Brien, known for documentaries on addiction, hunger and homelessness, turned her camera toward small acts of connection across Vermont in Every Day: Big and Small, a 90-minute film premiering in Burlington and touring a dozen towns this fall.
The film debuts in Burlington and will screen in 12 Vermont communities during September and October 2026.
O’Brien selected diverse people and scenes—different ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds—to show ordinary acts that sustain community life.
Bess O'Brien built a three-decade career making documentaries about hard things: substance use disorder, food and housing insecurity, foster care, eating disorders and life after prison. After finishing a 2024 film about food and housing insecurity, Just Getting By, she wanted to make something with a different tone. Facing a charged political moment and national rancor, she decided to look for everyday examples of people helping one another.
The film premieres in Burlington and then tours to a dozen Vermont cities and towns this fall, with scheduled screenings in Williston, Middlebury, Montpelier, St. Johnsbury, Barton, St. Albans, Randolph, Barre, Brattleboro, Rutland and Woodstock on dates between Sept. 26 and Oct. 11, 2026.
The documentary creates a stitched portrait of Vermont everyday life that highlights ordinary civic action rather than policy debates. Its appeal rests on approachable, human scenes—a teenager curating a museum, a family rebuilding after a flood, neighbors gathering for a messy outdoor tradition—connected by a throughline of people showing up for one another.
If you want to see the film, check the screening dates and locations in Burlington and the listed Vermont towns through Oct. 11, 2026. If you work in community organizations, consider whether short local vignettes could highlight everyday service and connection the way O'Brien's film does.
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bess-O-Brien-Documentary-Cover-1024x682.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A woman sits outside smiling on the left; on the right is a poster for the documentary film “Every Day Big and Small”
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