by: Ted Ventresca
What a perfect way to kick of Military Appreciation Month! The G.I. Film Festival. Now in its fourth year, this Star-Studded Week includes films, celebrities, military and government leadership and Entertainment...all honoring "Our Nation’s American GI Heroes…"
The award-winning GI Film Festival was held May 11-16 at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, DC.
I had the pleasure of speaking with the co creator of the G.I. Film Festival, Laura Law-Millet also ESPN980 and WTNT Freddom 570 were proud supporters of the event. Ms. Law-Millet and her husband launched the G.I. Film Festival for one simple reason: "to let artists tell the story of our great troops, their successes and their sacrifices."
The massive undertaking included 38 film screenings, 22 world premieres, red carpet events, celebrity guests and filmmaker workshops. Film topics covered major conflicts from the Civil War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of the most poignant moment for me was the Glenn Close screening of the world premiere of PAX, this is a must see short film that she directed on post traumatic stress. The G.I. FIlm Festival included Gary Sinise and an advanced screening of the new documentary Lt. Dan Band: For The Common Good, Ricky Schroder screening the world premiere of Starting Strong, a new reality television program he created, produced and directed for the U.S. Army. Also, Iraq War veterans Brian Iglesias and Anton Sattler take you on a heart-pounding journey through one of the most savage battles in U.S. history in their epic documentary Chosin, which focuses on the Korean War’s Chosin Reservoir Campaign.
www.gifilmfestival.com
