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“We are proud to partner with the Gary Sinise Foundation,” said GI Film Festival’s executive director and co-founder, former Army Major Laura Law-Millett. “They do amazing work.  It’s so important that people understand the important role film and the media play in the minds of every American when it comes to supporting our brave men and women in uniform.”

The one day event will screen 9 films and play host to an evening reception where you can meet and greet the filmmakers.  To see the line-up, view the trailers, and purchase tickets to attend the event, please click here.

The GI Film Festival (GIFF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit public education foundation, is the first and only film festival in the nation dedicated to the American Armed Forces. The GIFF’s mission is to honor the successes and sacrifices of American GIs through the medium of film.  For more information visit www.gifilmfestival.com.

The Gary Sinise Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to serve and honor our nation’s defenders.  For more information visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.

1.  They Wereth Eleven

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They Wereth Eleven is an amazing film directed by award winning director Robert Child about the untold story of 11 African American soldiers who were slaughtered by the SS in WWII.

2. A Marine’s Guide to Fishing

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A Marine’s Guide to Fishing , directed by Nicholas Brennan, stars Matthew Pennington, a former Marine with three combat tours under his belt.  Pennington also received the Purple Heart after loosing his leg in an IED attack.   This film beautifully portrays the struggle with reintegration following a deployment.

3. Journey Home

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Journey Home is written by, directed by and stars Christopher Loverro, an Iraq War veteran.  In the film, Loverro’s character accompanies his fallen buddy’s body back home to his family.

4. Line of Departure is also written by, directed by, and stars active duty Marine, Folleh Tamba.  In addition to being an award-winning filmmaker, Tamba has served three combat tours in the Middle East.  This is a thoughtful film about what goes through the mind of a Marine in the days leading up to a combat deployment.

5.  Xtraction

Xtraction is a great action film from up and coming filmmaker Marco Santiago.  It tells the story of a woman veteran who risks everything to break up a smuggling operation in Mexico.

A sixth reason not to miss GIFF:  All military ID holders get a 20% discount on tickets with the code MIL11.  Fore more information visit www.gifilmfestival.com.  Coming from out of town?  Discounted hotel rooms can be booked here and all GIFF guests get a free metro card!

The GI Film Festival, founded by Brandon Millett and former Army Major Laura Law-Millett, is a 501 (c) 3 organization whose mission is to honor the men and women in uniform through film.  This year’s festival runs from 9-15 May in Washington, DC.

Actor Kerri Turner attends the GI Film Festival

“This effort between the GI Film Festival and the Military Channel will be invaluable in putting the heroism and the sacrifice of the nation’s bravest men and women on full display for all of America to witness. This has been the Festival’s core mission from day one,” said GI Film Festival Chairman Stephen K. Bannon.

The G.I. Film Festival is the first and only film festival in the country dedicated to honoring the successes and sacrifices of American GIs. The festival’s documentary and narrative films showcase themes ranging from the courage and ingenuity on battlefields throughout history to the struggles of homelessness and post-traumatic stress on the home front.

The G.I. Film Festival block runs on Military Channel from 9-11 PM ET on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout November starting on Friday, November 12, the day after Veterans Day.

“We are proud to provide our filmmakers with a nationwide audience on one of the nation’s most respected television networks,” said GI Film Festival Co-Founder Brandon Millett. “We know Military Channel viewers will be touched and inspired by this programming. And we hope through our films that they gain a greater sense of appreciation for our nation’s men and women in uniform.”

“This national television program is a landmark event in the history of the GI Film Festival,” said GI Film Festival Co-Founder Laura Law-Millett. “With this ground-breaking new series, we now move from a DC-based event to a national organization fostering a positive image for American GIs.”

“The diverse lineup of the G.I. Film Festival is a natural fit for Military Channel, which prides itself on highlighting the full spectrum of human drama, courage and patriotism intrinsic to the armed forces,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Military Channel. “By providing the G.I. Film Festival a national platform, Military Channel invites its viewers to explore these beautifully produced films that resonate with the creative passion of each independent filmmaker.”

The opening weekend of G.I. Film Festival programming on Military Channel includes:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 from 9-11 PM ET

SHAKEY’S HILL In 1970, CBS News cameraman Norman Lloyd followed a battalion of American soldiers into the jungles of Cambodia. The mission was to seek out substantial weapons and supply caches being used by the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War. As the battalion closed in on the location of the caches, they encountered a growing resistance from the North Vietnamese forces. Rarely seen footage and first-hand accounts take the audience through each firefight leading up to the operation’s climax, which came to be known as the infamous taking of Shakey’s Hill. By melding field interviews from 1970 with retrospective interviews from 35 years later, SHAKEY’S HILL explores not only the events leading to this successful mission but the effects of war decades later. SHAKEY’S HILL, winner of the 2007 GI Film Festival’s Best Documentary Award, is produced and directed by Norman Lloyd.

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THE SURGE: THE UNTOLD STORY, the Military Channel Documentary Award winner at the 2010 GI Film Festival, offers a look into the real story of the troop surge in Iraq, as told by top U.S. military commanders, policy makers and soldiers on the ground. These never-before-seen interviews move beyond Washington politics to explore how a failing mission transformed into one of the most successful military operations in a generation of war fighting. This documentary honors the sacrifice, courage and ingenuity of the military personnel who confronted nearly impossible circumstances, but found success through their dedication and hard work. THE SURGE: THE UNTOLD STORY is presented by the Institute for the Study of War, in association with The Stevens & Schriefer Group with Kim Kagan and Russ Schriefer as executive producers and Jason Killian Meath as director.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13 from 9-11 PM ET

TRIANGLE OF DEATH: First-time filmmaker Marine Sergeant Folleh Shar Tamba tells the story of a foreign land engulfed in daily combat in TRIANGLE OF DEATH, winner of the 2009 GI Film Festival Founder’s Choice Award. Living day-by-day and seeing a country that wants to change, the 2nd Battalion 24th Marines’ struggles are chronicled in this poignant film. TRIANGLE OF DEATH is a story of people helping people, regardless of politics, presidents or public opinion. Told by the Marines who saw it firsthand, this is the story of the triangle of death and how its people chose to participate in Iraq’s first democratic national elections. TRIANGLE OF DEATH is produced by Wolf Dog Films with Folleh Tamba as director, Juan Montelongo and Thomas Hartmann as producers.

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14 from 9-11 PM ET

L-BIRD: THE LITTLE PLANE THAT DID: They weighed less than 800 pounds and were completely unarmed – but these cloth-covered spotter planes, the L-Birds, created more chaos than any other aircraft used in WWII. Flying low and slow to see enemy movement, the L-Birds would call in artillery fire to rain death and destruction ontotheir targets. Thanks to an innovative suspended landing system that hung above trees or over the sides of ships, pilots of these unique planes could land and take off without even touching the ground. Hosted by Academy-award winning actor Cliff Robertson, L-BIRD: THE LITTLE PLANE THAT DID profiles this little-known but heralded warplane, which earned a reputation as the deadliest plane used in WWII. L-BIRD: THE LITTLE PLANE THAT DID is produced by On Air Media from the Drury TV Studios with Brian Shipman as director.

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GOD AND COUNTRY: In the spring of 1942, the world was at war. Hitler had swept unchecked across the European landscape and was pounding at the doors of Great Britain. The United States learned of a plot by the Germans to break the stalemate with Great Britain. The German’s plot involved the use of diabolical new chemical weapons that were being developed at a research facility in Poland. GOD AND COUNTRY is a dramatic film portraying a team of three Americans who put their lives on the line to stop this plot by putting their lives on the line. GOD AND COUNTRY, winner of the “Best Narrative Short” at the 2008 GI Film Festival, is executive produced and directed by Daniel Piatt.

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Did you ever hear Jimmy Carter sound like a war hawk? Neither had we. Until we saw Patrol Base Jaker. Seriously, check out the trailer and you won’t believe your ears. And this is no Michael Moore hatchet job either…piecing together sound bytes to create some sort of Franken-statement. It’s all authentic Jimmy.

But aside from the shockingly pro-military statements from Carter (and Obama, by the way) what we really loved about PBJ is the fact that it documents a tremendous US military success story in Afghanistan…the kind you’ll never find in the pages of the New York Times or on any of the so-called “mainstream” news networks.

For an independent film financed by friends and family, the production value is truly amazing: exceptional cinematography, excellent pacing, and a great score – including an original song by OAR created just for this film. The film begins with an engaging historical dramatization, an effective technique not often used with success in documentaries. Directed by David Scantling (one of the producers of Brothers at War, which earned the GI Film Festival’s “Best Feature Documentary” award in 2008), PBJ is an overall great film.

This film will premiere Friday, 14 May at 6:30 pm in Washington DC at the GI Film Festival. The evening’s programming will also include the world premiere of Starting Strong, a new reality show created, produced and narrated by award-winning actor Ricky Schroder  for the US Army.

Starting Strong is a high-adrenaline new television show. The show provides a real potential Army recruit with an up close and personal Army experience in the field of his choice. The candidate is then asked to make a life-changing decision — to either join the Army or remain a civilian.

Tickets for this event are $40 and include a VIP reception following the films with directors David Scantling and Ricky Schroder. If you can’t attend the screening, please consider sending a soldier in your place.

The GI Film Festival, founded in 2007 by husband and wife team Brandon and Laura Millett, is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization whose mission is to honor the men and women in uniform.

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Though at times heart wrenching, Warrior Champions is not a sad tale of the tragedy of war, but rather an uplifting testament to the human spirit that challenges preconceived notions of what it means to be disabled.

There are really two types of wounded warrior films that people submit to the GI Film Festival. The first category exploits the experiences of injured veterans to make a political statement about war. (Perhaps the most obvious example of this category is a film we received in our first year- but did not screen – which splashed a running tally of dead and injured veterans from “Bush’s War” at the bottom of the screen. Others are a bit more subtle, but no less cynical.) The second category, while pulling no punches with respect to the brutal consequences of war, takes a different approach. These films focus on the inspirational stories of wounded warriors overcoming their disabilities to accomplish unbelievable feats. Warrior Champions exemplifies the very best in this latter category.

Exceptionally crafted by brothers Craig and Brent Renaud (the filmmakers behind the award-winning Off to War) Warrior Champions introduces us to three remarkable GIs who aspire to be the first disabled Iraq War veterans to make the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

You think you’ve rooted for American athletes before? Watch this film and you’ll find a whole new level of national pride. Do they make the team and medal? You’ll have to watch to see.

Spending time with wounded warriors — whether visiting Walter Reed, or coming to Wounded Warrior Appreciation Night at the festival, or watching a great film about their experiences — can be transformative.

For example, last year, after the festival, we were contacted by a top Hollywood producer who had attended our event. (Name withheld to protect his career.) This producer said that he and his wife could not sleep for three nights after meeting a group of wounded warriors at the festival because they were consumed with finding a way to help them.

They came expecting to screen a film. They left realizing they just had a life-changing experience. This happens with some frequency at the GI Film Festival.

Don’t miss this chance to be entertained and inspired. Come see Warrior Champions. It will screen Saturday, May 15th at 12:15 pm, Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC.

Click here to buy tickets to this film.  The GI Film Festival is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization and the only festival in the nation to honor the men and women in uniform.   It runs from 11-16 May 2010 in Washington DC.  If you can’t make it, consider sending a soldier in your place.

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With approximately 600 film submissions over the last four years, we’ve seen a lot of historical war documentaries come across our flat screen. A LOT. But within the first few moments of reviewing Chosin, we knew we had something completely different. And it had nothing to do with the technical aspects of the film, which were impressive by any standard. Or even the incredible story itself, which will soon be seen on the big screen in narrative form.

No, what is extraordinary about this film is the depth emotion expressed by these heroes and the strikingly graphic nature of their descriptions. It’s been over a month since we reviewed the film and I still can’t shake the image expressed by one of the heroes who said when he shot one of the Chinese invaders at close range, the man’s “blood burned my eyes.” In other words, this was not a group of vets swapping war stories around a campfire. This was a great unburdening. A cleansing. (Check out the trailer above and you’ll see what I mean.)

For 85 minutes we were completely transfixed. And when it was all over we were left asking the question: How did these rookie filmmakers manage to pull such incredible material from these men in a way we had never seen before?  Well, here’s how.

The filmmakers (Brian Iglesias and Anton Satter) are military veterans, Iraq War veterans, to be exact. And fellow Marines. And this is why they were able to extract from these men stories they had never told their wives, their children or their closest friends.

Chosin Film Premiering at GI Film Festival

Iglesias and Satter spent eight months on the road collecting the stories of 184 Korean War veterans in 27 cities, living out of a van and eating military rations. And what they have delivered is an intimate, breathtaking and important piece of work that must not be missed.

 Click here to buy tickets. The screening will begin Saturday night, May 15, 8:30 pm at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, DC.  The GI Film Festival (GIFF) runs from 11 May – 16 May 2010 in Washington DC.  The GIFF is a non-profit event and the only film festival in the nation whose mission is to honor the the service and sacrifices of the men and women in uniform through the medium of film.

On Saturday, September 26, 2009, award-winning actor Gary Sinise and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation will present the award-winning GI Film Festival at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to screen the “Best of the Festival.”  The GI Film Festival is the first and only film festival in the nation that honors the successes and sacrifices of the American GI through the medium of film.  (Please visit www.gifilmfestival.com/losangeles for more information and to purchase your tickets.) 

Tickets are $25 per person and include access to all screenings for the day and free admission into the Reagan Library and Air Force One Pavilion.  VIP tickets are $40 per person and include all screenings and admission, as well as a special reception with Gary Sinise following the prime time screening.

“I am proud to have been associated with the GI Film Festival for the past three years,” said Gary Sinise.  “It is a growing festival that takes place in Washington DC in May each year that honors all who have served our country past and present by exhibiting films that display the courage and sacrifice of our service members.  I am pleased to join the Reagan Foundation to host these selected films from past festivals on September 26, 2009.” 

WHAT:
The Award-Winning GI Film Festival “Road Show”

WHEN:
Saturday, September 26, 2009, 10 am to 11 pm.

WHERE:
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, California 93065

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
www.gifilmfestival.com/losangeles

 May 11-17, Washington, DC

Arlington, Virginia – GI Film Festival co-founders Brandon Millett and Major Laura Law-Millett announced today the line-up for the Third Annual festival showcasing the world’s best military films.  The festival will run from May 11-17, 2009 at the prestigious Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC and other DC area venues, including the Canadian Embassy and the Russell Senate Caucus Room.  The award-winning GI Film Festival is the first and only film festival in the nation dedicated to honoring American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines through the medium of film.  (See www.gifilmfestival.com for more information.) 

The GI Film Festival is not only the premiere film festival honoring America’s troops but also the most significant film festival in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area.  Major corporate sponsors for 2009 festival include among others:  Target Corporation; TriWest Healthcare Alliance; America’s Huey 091 Foundation; Pence-Friedel Developers, Inc; USO International; MGM/UA; HBO, Inc.; American Military University, and Discovery Communications’ “The Military Channel.” 

Highlights of the “Seven Days in May” event include: 

• 48 documentary and narrative premiere films from the nation’s top independent and studio filmmakers, including active duty GIs and military veterans;
• Sixteen feature-length films: Perfect Valor; Lioness; The Way We Get By; Jerabek; Triangle of Death; Bedford: The Town They Left Behind; America’s Marine Aviators; Inheritance of War; The Divided; Seal Team VI; Everyman’s War; Warriors in their Own Words; Injury Slight…Please Advise; Art in the Face of War; My Vietnam, Your Iraq; The Lesson is Priceless;
• “Work in Progress” exclusive screening of the feature film Lt. DanBand: The Documentary, following actor Gary Sinise as he and his Lt. DanBand entertain our troops worldwide and the many incredible organizations that support our heroes and their families.  The film is directed by military veteran and Hollywood filmmaker, Jonathan Flora;
• World Premiere of Citizens United Production’s Perfect Valor, featuring former Senator Fred Dalton Thompson; produced by David Bossie (Border Wars);
• GI Film Festival red carpet premiere of HBO’s Taking Chance, starring Kevin Bacon;
• GI Film Festival red carpet premiere for “Wounded Warriors” of MGM/UA’s Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise;
• World Premiere of the feature documentary America’s Marine Aviators;
• VIP reception featuring the launch of the new USO national publication, On Patrol;
• Special private screening for Members of Congress of the GI Film Festival’s 2008 “Best Feature Documentary,” Brothers at War;
• Presentation of the GI Film Festival’s “GI Spirit Award” to actress Karri Turner;
• A reception at the Russell Senate Caucus Room honoring military veterans in Congress featuring special guest Medal of Honor recipient Senator Daniel K. Inouye;
• VIP receptions featuring celebrities, top military leaders and warriors, and filmmakers.

 
“The GI Film Festival provides a unique opportunity to not only support the American warrior, but to participate in a meaningful and inspirational cultural event,” said GI Film Festival co-founder Brandon L. Millett.  “It is possible to sit through the entire slate of GI Film Festival films and experience the full range of human emotion.  Shocking combat films, patriotic tear jerkers, popcorn action films, historical documentaries; we will screen them all.”

In only its third year, the GI Film Festival has become the most significant venue for the screening of military films, including Hollywood features The Great Raid, Forrest Gump, and a never-before-released version of the Civil War epic Gods and Generals.  In addition, one 2007 GI Film Festival premiere, Operation Homecoming, was a finalist for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.  Last year’s GI Film Festival “Best Feature Documentary,” Brothers at War earned a theatrical distribution deal from the prestigious Samuel Goldwyn Films and is now in theaters.  Another award-winning offering from 2008, The Last 600 Meters, will release in theaters and air on PBS in 2010. 

 ”This range of films is important, not only for the American GIs but for the public to see our warriors’ story from a variety of perspectives; from the active duty service member inside the arena of war, to the wounded warrior struggling to overcome his or her disability, to the military spouse at home waiting for their loved one to return.   This diversity is the heart of what we offer at the GI Film Festival,” said GI Film Festival co-founder Major Laura Law-Millett. 

The GI Film Festival has quickly become the “go to” festival for warriors, military film buffs and filmmakers.  This year’s slate includes 16 original feature-length documentaries and narratives, two major studio feature films, and 30 short films covering the Civil War, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

“This festival is all about warriors and filmmakers.  It is established for the very reason to let artists tell the story of our great troops, their successes and their sacrifices,” said GI Film Festival Chairman Stephen K. Bannon. 

Tickets for GI Film Festival premiere films are available for $10.  Tickets for primetime events, which include film screenings and receptions, are available for $50.  Full festival passes are available for $250 and include access to all film screenings and primetime events on Thursday through Sunday. 

Other GI Film Festival sponsors include – Corporate:  AAFES; American Military University;  AUSA; Meco Environmental; MillerCoors; MPAA; No Jurisdictional Boundaries; Media: GreatAmericans.com; The Hill Newspaper; ICR, Inc.; Military History Channel; Military.com; Stars and Stripes; Washington Times; WMAL; WUSA9; ZAM Media; Military:  American Red Cross; American Veterans Center; Army National Guard;  Freedom Is Not Free; Operation Hug-a-Hero; Snowball Express; USO Metro DC; Young Marines; In-Kind: Gallo Winery; Hint Water; The Leadership Institute; Resolution Gear; Skincando; Solas by Kara Kurz; and the Sony Corporation. 

For more information, please visit www.gifilmfestival.com.

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These war artists served in all theaters of operation and in all branches of the U.S. Military, including the once-secret Army division known as The Deception Corps. Their powerful imagery – some done on the spot, some done years later from haunting memories – will enlighten, challenge, even amuse, showing that war is hell but also that creativity can still exist, even in the face of utter destruction. 

These artists/veterans share how they used their art for journalism and to preserve their own sanity. 

Director David Baugnon

Filmmaker David Baugnon resides in New York. His directing credits include the feature documentary Art in the Face of War, 2006 (winner of the Newport Film Festival Special Jury Prize 2007 and Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary at Connecticut International Film Festival, 2006); the short documentary Matisyahu (screened in 50 film festivals worldwide and Grand Prize Winner at AOL Moviefone Short Film Festival, 2006 and the Special Jury Prize at the God on Film Festival 2004).  He currently teaches screenwriting in New York at Writers Boot Camp and at Pratt Institute.

The GI Film Festival is delighted to announce Art in the Face of War as an official selection of the 2009 Festival.  The GI Film Festival is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization whose mission is to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform.   Please consider supporting our festival to further our mission by bringing awareness to more great movies like David’s.

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Fast forward 30 years post-Judy Benjamin.  Enter the age of Lioness.  In this gripping documentary, a female solider on foot patrol with the Marines in Iraq is caught up in a deadly firefight against enemy insurgents.  In another scene, a female soldier in full combat gear is searching house-to-house in enemy territory; patting down the Iraqi women looking for hidden weapons.

Filmmakers Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers bring us the incredible untold story of the first group of women soldiers who were sent into direct ground combat.  Through intimate accounts, journal excerpts, and archive footage, this films follows five women who served together for a year in Iraq. With captivating detail, this probing documentary reveals the unexpected course of events that began when US women soldiers were used to defuse tensions among local Iraqi civilians, but resulted in them fighting in some of the bloodiest counterinsurgencies battles of the war.

Lioness bridges the gap between the perception and the reality regarding the role women in the military are playing in Iraq. 

Lioness will premiere at the GI Film Festival in May in Washington DC.  For more information about the GI Film Festival please visit our website at www.gifilmfestival.com.  The GI Film Festival is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization whose mission is to honor the services and sacrifices of the men and women in uniform.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help support our mission.