GI Film Festival: Where Hollywood Fears to Tread
by Christian TotoBrandon L. Millett has crunched the numbers and come up with a formula Hollywood doesn’t want to compute. Films featuring U.S. soldiers as the enemy don’t sell tickets. Period. So Millett decided to create the G.I. Film Festival, an annual event honoring movies that depict soldiers in a positive light.
The five-day festival, which kicks off its third year Wednesday (May 13) at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C., just keeps growing as a result. This time around, the festival will feature 48 film screenings – up from 30 last year. “Brothers at War,” which won the festival’s prize last year for best documentary, got a theatrical distribution deal thanks to its festival appearance.
Stephen Baldwin, James McEachin, Brandon Millett, Gary Sinise – 2008 Festival
Oscar winner Robert Duvall will lend his star presence to the proceedings, along with Sen. Fred Thompson and Kelsey Grammer.
“We didn’t know how big it would get and how quickly it would grow. It took on a life of its own,” says Millett, Festival President. Millett pins the blame squarely on Gary Sinise, Hollywood’s hardest working actor on behalf of U.S. soldiers.
“We had Gary at our first film festival when we were not much more than a concept. That really gave us momentum and credibility,” he says.
Sinise isn’t the only actor who appreciates the festival’s mission – to honor the successes and sacrifices of the U.S. Military.
“No matter what you think of this war, or any war, we must support the men and women doing the fighting. Most people get it, and that often includes those from Hollywood,” he says.
True, some actors “are infected with an anti-military, anti-American bias,” he says. Millett wonders why acclaimed director Brian De Palma saw fit to shoot two films featuring the military in his career – and both prominently dealt with soldiers raping the innocent (“Casualties of War,” “Redacted”).
“Not one other story line in the last 20 years jumped out at Brian De Palma?” he asks.
“The American people don’t wanna see films where G.I.’s are rapists, murderers. Those films die at the box office. That’s not the American warrior we know, and not the one we want to see,” he says.
The festival will screen war movies old and new, like the recent “Taking Chance,” the well received feature starring Kevin Bacon, as well as the world premiere of the Citizens United film “Perfect Valor.”
Millett says his festival doesn’t take a political stance. Its mission is more important than that.
“We take a big tent approach. We want to show as many people as possible the quality and character of men in uniform,” he says.
Christian Toto is a freelance film critic whose work appears in The Washington Times. He blogs about film at What Would Toto Watch?
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46 Comments
These are the true Hollywood "heroes" honoring our American military heroes – Thank You! Without the American military, there would be no Hollywood as we know it. Too bad many in Hollywood take for granted their freedom of speech. Sinise, Grammer, Baldwin, McEachin, Millett, Thompson, Duvall, and all others associated with the G.I. Film Festival are to be congratulated for their work.
Congratulations to you all, job well done, in an honest depiction of the American citizen soldier.
I might go and see a movie again if, these guys are involved.
I hope, for the sake of the filmmakers and actors, that these films can also stand on their own merits.
Taking Chance was such an incredible surprise, considering the usual biases one takes to the movies or when watching HBO. Are these films going to be finding a venue for the public, straight to video is ok with me, as long as we get a chance to see this stuff. Unfortunately, we are in choir. It's the youth of America that need to see this.
This is a good thing people. A really good thing. Props to all involved!
"Taking Chance" was an awesome movie !!!!!
I had tears all the way through………
God bless you guys who have the will to support these brave men and women !!!
Nice job. Thanks for the update. Somehow, I didn't see this on CNBC or the network news?????
I applaud the GI Film Festival and every Holywood celeb who supports it.
"festival’s mission – to honor the successes and sacrifices of the U.S. Military"
What more needs to be said.
yeah, um, CNBC covers financial news.
Was it on Fox, then?. I fail to see how this qualifies as "News" outside of an entertainment context.
The very first night it was aired, I hosted a "Taking Chance party" for friends of mine (AmericanSheepdogs.com) of whom are vets, active duty soldiers, parents of active duty soldiers, and their families.
It was a touching and very well done portrayal and there wasn't a dry eye in the house when it was over. This incudes the big burly vets who were icredibly touched by the movie. I want to thank HBO for finally showing a good "war" movie. And I also thank all of these actors here who are currently doing so much to help our American troops!
Yeah because Redacted certainly did. I always love it when the liberals scream at conservative films for just being a message without being good but then praise Brian De Palma for making an anti-war rant that is garbage.
Honestly, I wouldn't know. The reviews were bad enough to keep me away from it. That and the fact that Black Dahlia is one of the worst films I've ever seen. De Palma's kind of a hack, and there's nothing partisan about admitting that.
I think De Palma is an overrated hack who just ripped off Hitchcock films but I used him as an example. Whenever Hollywood makes a film about the war (which is usually anti-war in it's view) how many times do you see the reviewers using as an excuse to bash Bush and alot of reviewers praising it for being brave for speaking the truth. It seems in Hollywood when it comes to being anti-war/Bush that the message does trump any entertainment value.
Is there no room for a pro-soldier, anti-war movie?
the fact is that war is hell. (is it not?)
and while yes, there is much bravery and honor, no one in war is innocent.
De Palma has gotten so pathetic, he's ripping off himself. Casualties of War became Redacted.
Clint Eastwood made 2 of the best anti-war movies that told the story from a soldier's view on both sides. Flags of our Fathers and Letters from IwoJima. I was very moved by both. Clint honored the soldier but was able to deliver the "War is Hell" message without any negatives stacked up against the soldier for fighting in them.
I really appreciate those in Hollywood that support our troops and avoid the defamation that the Code Pinkos display to our soldiers. I agree with Gary Sinise that no matter how you feel about the war or what your political leanings are, our soldiers deserve our unending gratitude for a job well done and the preservation of American Life. I like the saying," America, the land of the Free because of the Brave". I think we need more movies about the truly unique Brave American Warriors that are fighting in the current conflicts. If you have ever seen the TV movie " Battle for Falujah" on the Military Channel, you understand what it means to be an American soldier in the 21st Century.
So trite, spoken by a non-vet no doubt.
If you share the desire to support our troops in a meaningful way, please visit http://www.anysoldier.com and learn how you can make a difference in a soldier's life.
I loved Brian DePalma because my favorite film was Phantom of the Paradise. I had met Mark Cuban twice and found him to be a very nice guy. However both of them now disgust me, DePalma for making Redacted and Cuban for releasing it. Not because their pov was against the war but because they participated in something that willingly told a lie about our soldiers in order to defame them.
Sorry, Typo–NBC not CNBC. Point still stands: this will never make the mainstream's news.
If a soldier kill someone to save the lives of himself and his commrades and his country that does not make him a guilty person. Hell, no one in life is an innocent person, everyone is tainted to an extent.
Most people hate war, even those "guilty" soldiers, I guarentee the movies at this festival are not all "Yay! War! Let's get in another one.", I mean how dare they show soldiers as being human and not evil, vile creatures.
I was thinking of Clint Eastwood when I made the original post, because I had almost said that in reality, there is bravery and honor on both sides. Which is a point that Eastwood certainly understands. I wonder how the GI Film Festival people feel about Clint (or is he not counted as party of where Hollywood fears to tread?)
Indeed. But my father fought in WWII.
no doubt that this is a thorny issue. I see this as a backlash to a backlash. 1940s hollywood war movies were pretty simple and straight forward stuff, no? Then came the baby-boomer era anti-war war movies. Now this.
what complicates it all is, I think when people go off to war… they come back tending to a) see things a lot more "black and white", and b) having a very specific & set outlook on things – without much tolerance for stuff that doesn't fit into their view.
I welcome the spectrum of war-movies styles. The backlash to the last backlash is welcome… and so is the backlash after that.
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Great idea. The real reason liberal Hollywood hates army men been praised is that it reflects badly upon their artificial leftwing lives. Narcissistic actors have to have ALL the glory.
Finally!! I was thinking the other day what a difference there is in the hateful anti-military movies made today compared to the war movies made during the 40's & 50's. I grew up an Airforce brat and have been disgusted by how liberal hollywood has portrayed our soldiers. Thank you to the GI Film Festival for having the bravery to stand up against the liberal anti-military (and yes, its as much anti-military as it is anti-war, regardless of what they say) crowd.
"…how many times do you see the reviewers using as an excuse to bash Bush and alot of reviewers praising it for being brave for speaking the truth…"
Amen to that.
I got so tired of hearing how "W" was an important film that asked a lot of important questions.
Better yet was something from Roger Ebert back in 2004. When "Fahrenheit 911" came out, he and all the critics went on and on about how great it was that someone was standing up and saying these things. A few weeks later, he reviewed some small pro-American film that showed average Americans in the heartland. Ebert didn't like it because it didn't show the real America. He wanted to know "where is the poverty?" along with a number of other tired liberal cliches.
In no way does that even come close to counting! Just because my second cousin works for NASA doesn't make me an astronaut. My Great Great Grandfather fought in the Civil War, My Grandfather fought in WWI. My Father fought in WWII and Korea. My Uncle fought in Korea and Vietnam. I fought in Desert Storm and have 3 cousins that fought in OIF/OEF and 2 are still serving. Nothing ticks me off more than some libtard to say that they know about combat but, I as well as many others have fought and some have paid the ultimate price for YOUR right to Freedom of Speech, Religion, etc…etc. Above all, it is the soldier/sailor/marine that prays for peace because it's his/her duty to face the crucible when the sh!t hits the fan. I am now a Patriot Guard Rider and have been on several missions for my fallen brothers. "For those who have fought for it, Freedom has a price the protected will never know." is a great quote that I believe to be true. GOD BLESS OUR ARMED SERVICES and GOD BLESS THE USA!
For anyone here who would say to me: "People like you just don't get it." …okay! You are right. People like me just don't get it!
I am not a soldier. I happen to be the first generation in an incredibly long line soldiers, but this is not my life, and I never came remotely close to going in that direction. And while I do respect the contributions by men and women in uniform (although I have to suffer accusations otherwise, for some reason)… I've never been ashamed of my pure civilian status and I don't see why I should.
So- what then? My opinion on this thread is zilch? Is the idea here: Unilateral pro-soldier movies for soldiers and by soldiers? Just that simple, nothing more needed?
Brandon L. Millett's article here doesn't ever say what the point of these films is- other than to define the purpose of this movement in contrast, or in reaction to what Hollywood puts out. That's okay, but I'm still curious: What is it that these films provide to their audience, either in the form of art or entertainment?
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