Written by, Actor: Mr. J Blakemore
Festival dates: May 24 - May 28, 2017
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gifilm/
OPEN to the Public.
I’d like to
say a few words about freedom. I know it will be coming up because we are
talking about G.I’s and whenever you talk about the military, freedom becomes
the central focus. My entire family served… dad was career Air Force, my
brother was in the Gulf when it was called Desert Shield (yeah. I’m that old)
my sister was in the army for a stint, my other sister married a guy stationed
in a town called Knob Noster… so I know what the fighting part of freedom is
about.
That’s the
part we can identify from across the room without looking too hard. That’s the
picture of freedom we all know.
I’d like to
talk about the freedom that the GI Film Festival gives, though. It’s a freedom for GI’s; not coming from them. It’s the freedom to tell their
stories and be heard. It’s the freedom to create and produce. It’s the
ephemeral freedom they endangered their lives to make sure the rest of us get
on a daily basis.
It’s the
joined effort of military and civilian artists to convey those stories and help
everyone understand each other better because we not only get to see their
stories, we often get to help bring them to life. This brand of freedom- the
freedom to truly tell your own story in your own way- is the rarest of freedoms
to too many GIs. There’s no overstating the worth of this freedom. There’s no
overselling how important this kind of freedom is.
More than
simply being a freedom, though, it benefits everyone involved. It doesn’t
matter if you’re participating in building the production or if you are just an
audience member. That’s the beauty of it. We all get rewarded by this
happening. It opens doors for vets to join in the creative community and go so
far as to establish lifelong careers.
It benefits
the audience because they get to understand the people who chose to protect
them by seeing their stories in their own words and images. It benefits film
students in spades because they get to watch these films and often work hand in
hand with these people; learning together as they create. The connections that
come from working on these projects will last a lifetime.
The GI Film
Festival is, at its best, a glimpse into the future; a look at film
professionals being born by telling their own stories. There is very little I
can name that’s cooler than that.
Festival dates: May 24 - May 28, 2017
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gifilm/
OPEN to the Public.
I had the opportunity to work with some vets
on a short I was in several years ago. It ended up playing at festivals around
the country (the GI Film Festival among them if I remember correctly). Working
with men and women who put the same discipline into film making as they did the
military was an incredible treat.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gifilm/
Presently, I
have been dedicating my creative time to writing novels and getting a decent
agent to market them, but I can safely say I hope to work together with any of
these people again. It was a wonderful time and reminded me how much fun you
could have while being amazingly disciplined professionals.
I am sold for life
on the idea of vets working in film after the experience I had with each and
every person on that set. I hope they will find your support as well.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gifilm/
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