States of America — Season 1, Episode 11: Illinois
Documentary • 5 min • 1 season, 29 episodes
Episode synopsis
Thirteen years ago, after finishing college in Minnesota, returning home to Texas, and then volunteering in Mexico, Nathan Tolzmann felt adrift. He set out to ride his bike across the United States on a voyage of self-discovery, but only made it as far as Chicago. It was in the Prairie State where Nathan found the sense of belonging and contentment he had been searching for.
About States of America
In the United States, you may have been born in one state or even in a different country. You may go to school or work in another community, and then move somewhere else by choice or circumstance. What is it that ties us to these places and makes us call them home? And how does our state affect who we are and how we identify ourselves? In a time where identity, unity and belonging are under scrutiny, STATES OF AMERICA asks these questions in lyrical short documentaries. Featuring everyday people as distinct as the physical and cultural landscapes they call home, these films begin to portray a mosaic of America's famously emerging identity.