OFF TO WAR

In the early moments of OFF TO WAR, the patriotism of the residents of Clarksville, Arkansas is palpable: as the members of the Arkansas National Guard depart, the entire town turns out to see them off in a caravan of 40-year-old trucks that will travel with them to the Middle East.

After they leave, the drama of the wives and mothers, sisters and brothers back home begins. Mothers take on more responsibilities as power dynamics and roles shift to fill the vacuum of the missing father.

Filmmaker brothers and native Arkansans Craig and Brent Renaud spent over a year in Iraq and Arkansas. Shooting with small digital cameras, they embedded with the soldiers, risking their lives to record the story of the conflict. They capture the courage, occasional fear and hope that the men experience on the battlefield.

Presented without narration or music, the film offers no commentary and has no agenda, save honoring the stories of the individual characters and telling the truth about this war.

This film brings the reality of America at war into sharp focus. How much do we expect of our men and women in the armed forces? How much do we really support them? What is the long-term impact of the war on their families? What exactly are they fighting for?

Post-screening discussion, moderated by Lawrie Mifflin, Executive Director of Television and Radio, The New York Times, with director Brent and Craig Renaud.

Patricia Finneran

Brent and Craig Renaud are brothers and filmmakers who were raised in Little Rock, AR. Since April 2004, they have been following the men of the 39th Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard in Iraq as well as their families back home in Clarksville. The series OFF TO WAR tells the story of a real-life band of brothers and of the people who await their return. OFF TO WAR has earned several honors, including the Golden Gate Award for Best Television Documentary Long Form at the 48th San Francisco International Film Festival 2005 and the JVC Grand Prize at the Tokyo Video Festival. For 10 years, the Renaud brothers have been working with celebrated documentary filmmaker Jon Alpert and his production company Downtown Community TV Center (DCTV) on award-winning projects in places like Afghanistan, Cambodia, Bolivia, China, Pakistan and Iraq. The Renauds' first film for HBO, DOPE SICK LOVE, premiered on the Discovery Times Channel in March 2005.

Print Source:
Reenie Kuhlman, Discovery Times Channel
One Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 240.662.2937
Email: Reenie_Kuhlman@discovery.com

PRECEDED BY...FLAG DAY
Kristy Higby
USA, 2004, 7 minutes

Fed up with the American media's lack of reporting on the rising death toll in Iraq, a man creates an ever expanding "garden" of flags, each representing a fallen US soldier.

Print Source:
Kristy Higby, Calhoun Studios
10828 Buchanan Trail West
Mercersburg, PA 17236
Tel: 7173286206
Fax: 7173286224
Email: khigby@calhounstudios.com

Free to members of the Armed Services & their families. (on a space limited basis). Please call 301.495.6762 by June 15 for reservations.

Celebrate Father's Day in the Silver Spring Plaza!
5pm ICE CREAM PARTY following the screening of OFF TO WAR
Sponsored by Cold Stone Creamery & Gymboree

Sunday 6/19 at 2:45 p.m.
Tickets: $9

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