Meet the ultimate citizen whose superpower is empathy
ULTIMATE CITIZENS is the story of Jamshid Khajavi, an extraordinary 65-year-old Iranian American public school counselor who uses the sport of Ultimate Frisbee to help children heal. In an America where many families are quietly, barely getting by, Mr. Jamshid coaches an underdog team of kids on their way to compete in the world’s largest youth tournament. ULTIMATE CITIZENS is a celebration of resilience and belonging, and the third independent feature documentary from award-winning filmmaker Francine Strickwerda.
Director’s Statement
ULTIMATE CITIZENS is not a movie about Frisbee. The “flat ball” is one tool that Jamshid Khajavi uses in his work as a primary school counselor. A fiery, funny 65-year-old Iranian immigrant and ultra-endurance athlete, Jamshid does some of his best work on the playing field with his students, the children of refugees and immigrants.
In a season of healing, Jamshid coaches two intrepid 11-year-olds, Nyahoak, whose South Sudanese parents came to the U.S. as refugees, and Pio, whose Samoan parents came for a better a life, but struggled through homelessness. Jamshid mentors the kids on their way to compete in the world’s largest youth Ultimate Frisbee tournament.
The story unfolds at Hazel Wolf K-8 School in Seattle, a city known for its high-tech companies and $7 coffees. It’s also an America where many families quietly struggle to afford housing and survive.
Jamshid’s efforts to build community where all kids can thrive are heroic. But it’s the parents who work low-paying jobs around the clock, and their first-generation Americans kids, who are the champions. They save themselves, with a little help from a counselor in a supportive school.
At a time when schools are on the frontlines of America’s culture wars, some politicians and parents are fighting the work of counselors like Jamshid. He teaches social emotional learning and sex education. He talks with families about grief and loss, and helps remove barriers to learning and belonging.
Today there are roughly 100 million forcibly displaced people around the world – more than at any time in modern history. The plight of these asylum seekers is increasingly met with anti-immigrant policies and violence.
The documentary offers an antidote, and a vision of a more welcoming America. You often hear Jamshid saying to people, “I’m so glad you’re here,” and he means it. For almost 40 years he’s taught children how to be “ultimate citizens” – to look out for themselves and each other, and to choose inclusion over exclusion. Jamshid and the kids show us how to do the hardest work of all – find our way forward, together.
— Francine Strickwerda, Director, ULTIMATE CITIZENS
CREATIVE FILMMAKING TEAM
Directed, Produced and Written by Francine Strickwerda
Edited by Nate Lessler, Gabrielle Shelton-Jenck, Charlie Spears
Cinematography by Doug Plummer, Francine Strickwerda, Nakean Wickliff
Executive Producer: Tracy Dethlefs
Flock This Way Films was founded by filmmaker Francine Strickwerda to create documentaries that spark social change through extraordinary stories of people, culture, politics and the environment. ULTIMATE CITIZENS is the work of Flock This Way Films.
Hullabaloo is a Seattle-based creative video agency that specializes in award-winning feature documentaries, as well as advertising and brand storytelling for the tech and biotech industries and non-profits. Hullabaloo is the film’s production facility.
