“Jet Line: Voicemails From the Flight Path” shares the story of what it’s like living under the F-35 flight path. 

The filmmakers Duane Peterson III and Patrick McCormack created a hotline in October 2020, inviting people to call in anonymously to express their feelings. They received over 100 voicemails and they used them to narrate the film. 

“It’s over 2 and a half hours of audio that we paired down to this 12 minute short film,” Peterson said. 

McCormack said the film is about listening to your neighbors.

The two filmmakers have been shooting scenes of the area along the way. “We wanted to admire the tranquility of Vermont and the changing of the seasons here as well,” McCormack said. 

The vast majority of the calls they received expressed discomfort and disapproval of the F-35s.  

“I think that you know some of the most surprising voicemails to me were the ones that expressed desperation, the sense that people had tried to make their voices heard,” Peterson said. 

Maj. Scott Detweiler, acting public affairs officer for the Vermont National Guard, said: “As neighbors and even residents of these communities, we care deeply about balancing our federal mission requirements with the impact of our operations and have taken many steps to mitigate sound, lessen impact and be transparent with the public,” Major Detweiler said. 

The film will be livestreamed April 15 at 7 p.m.