From Emmy® award-winning filmmakers Joe and Harry Gantz (Taxicab Confessions, The Defenders), American Winter follows the personal stories of eight families struggling in the wake of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Seen through the eyes of families caught in a daily struggle to survive, American Winter powerfully reveals the emotional stories behind America’s alarming trend towards a disappearing middle class and a shrinking social safety net at a time of unprecedented need. American Winter premiered on HBO and was nominated for an Emmy award in 2014, and for a prestigious Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize, which recognizes acts of truth-telling that protect the public interest or promote social justice. Four subjects from American Winter were invited to testify about their experiences at a U. S. Senate Hearing titled: “State of the American Dream: Economic Policy and the Future of the Middle Class” moderated by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley. American Winter challenges stereotypes about who turns to social services for help and why, ultimately presenting an intimate portrait revealing the human impact of rising economic inequality and the fracturing of the American Dream