Employee-owned Eder Flag in Oak Creek, Wis. produces over 5 million flags each year, and it’s the largest manufacturer of American flags and flagpoles in the entire nation.
The Flagmakers is a new National Geographic documentary featuring the flag manufacturer. The film was done over the three-year span of 2019-2022 and is co-directed by Academy Award-winning director Cynthia Wade and award-winning director Sharon Liese. Following some of the workers of Eder Flag, from locals to refugees and immigrants, The Flagmakers explores the central question: who the American flag is for?
Wade describes how the inspiration for the film ignited during conversations with her co-director about the symbolism of the U.S. flag and its recent representation. "We were talking about how we were feeling very uncomfortable with how the American flag had been co-opted by the extreme conservative[s]," she says. "And in that, there's such an inflexibility that does not allow us to both embrace what's beautiful and potential and hopeful about this country and also face our darker truths."
There are 200 workers at Eder Flag, and walking into the company is "almost like you're walking into what you imagine the United Nations to be," notes Wade. There are dozens of languages spoken, countless varied decorations from each worker's home countries from around the globe, and music that is just as diverse throughout the factory.
"It is what I think we all want our country to be — no matter where people are coming from, no matter what language they originally speak, that they find a way to really connect. They find a way to work together," she says. "Each flag takes about ten people to make, so when you think about that, that's ten stories sewing the stars and stripes that you see that are flying from every building and flagpole around the country."
During the course of filming, the Milwaukee area and the country experienced a pandemic, racial reckoning, the shootings of George Floyd and Jacob Blake and the January 6 attack — where the flags that were made at Eder Flag were brandished as weapons at the U.S. Capitol.
"Watching what was unfolding in this country through the eyes of the flagmakers allowed us to stitch together in the film a bit of an essay," explains Wade. "And it's a bit of a meditation on what it is to be American or to aspire to be American."
These dual realities of love and patriotism contrasting with the violence and animosity that encompass many Americans' lives are a central focus of the film. Wade describes the experiences of Eder Flag's production manager, known as SugarRay:
"He is a Black man, born and raised in Milwaukee, raising children, and still can't fly an American flag in front of his house because of the vast inequality and, quite frankly, violence in this country against Black and brown people and yet loves this country," says Wade.
Wade says they didn't want the film to be a performative or surface-level experience, which is in part why filming took so long. She notes that showcasing the unique experiences of the flagmakers highlights the importance of having gray areas. "We need to feel conflicted about this country," says Wade.
After being independently produced and facing production challenges in its initial stages, the film was picked up by National Geographic and is also executively produced by Milwaukee Bucks star player Giannis Antetokounmpo. Wade says the film has also been optioned to be developed as a musical on Broadway to explore more of the stories captured during the course of filming.
Amid its completion and widespread interest, Wade attributes the film's impact to the area it highlights. She says, "What we experienced at the flag factory was absolutely the best of what this country has to offer ... but around the flagmakers is a whole community that supports them."
"There's a welcoming and I think sort of a pluralistic, bigger feeling, a big heart to Milwaukee, and to Wisconsin, and to the Midwest, and certainly to Eder Flag. I don't know if Eder Flag would exist in the same way in another place in this country quite like it does in Wisconsin," Wade adds,
The Flagmakers is available now on Disney+., National Geographic, and also available to stream on Hulu through Jan. 17.
