They sew 5 million American flags a year. Then politics happens

After three years of filming inside a factory just south of Milwaukee, Cynthia Wade and Sharon Liese will never see the American flag the same way again.

“We got to see how significant this little piece of fabric can be, and how much meaning people put into it,” Liese says.

At Eder Flag, employees meticulously sew the point of each star, until the nylon or polyester flags start to look like works of art. Then, they get shipped out into a country where flying the flag can be divisive.

“The Flagmakers” may be just 35 minutes long, but the documentary spends time with a wide range of workers, including a Serbian immigrant and a war survivor from Iraq. For filmmakers Wade and Liese, it was a chance to explore some uncomfortable questions.

“You can have both hope for this beautiful, fragile democracy and you can also feel despair,” Wade says.

“The Flagmakers” is available to stream on National Geographic and Disney Plus.

Approved ~ FS