The concept of a "military movie" no longer applies solely to gritty black-and-white documentaries or portraits of a broken hero struggling to recapture his former glory.
There are digital shorts that offer humor, heartbreak and all emotions in between. There are stories that span generations of warriors, shining spotlights on service members across the globe, telling tales straight from history books, or based on true events, or pulled from the far corners of fiction and fantasy.
As the definition of military cinema changes, so has the GI Film Festival, which kicks off its 11th year May 24 in Washington, D.C., with more than 50 films of all stripes on tap.
The roster of movies is "the most diverse we've ever featured," said Brandon Millett, who co-founded the festival with his wife Laura, a former Army major. "As we tell people, if you see this lineup start to finish, you will experience every single conceivable emotion."
The five-day event begins with a congressional reception featuring Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. Get a full recap of events, including trailers and updated schedules, here. Some highlights:
- The documentary short "Gary Sinise: Always Do a Little More," featuring the actor/advocate and his work to support service members past and present.
- Feature-length docs such as "After Fire," about female veterans moving into civilian life, and "American Veteran," featuring the recovery of Army Sgt. Nick Mendes after an explosion in Afghanistan cost him the use of his limbs.
- Shorts outside the traditional military narrative, including "Comedy Bootcamp" (tracking veterans working toward careers on the stand-up circuit) and "The Jockstrap Raiders" (an animated comedy featuring a misfit British unit during World War I).
Other events include an invitation-only screening of "Wonder Woman" before the movie hits theaters; an advance look at the premiere of the fourth and final season of AMC's "Turn: Washington's Spies" including an appearance from cast members; a May 27 variety show dubbed " Cinematic Salute to the Troops" that includes movie screenings, music and appearances by actors Tom Berenger and Judd Nelson; and a sneak preview of "The Vietnam War," an 18-hour PBS documentary from Ken Burns set to debut in September.
'IT SHOWS THE POWER OF FILM'
Last year's festival had its share of star power for the 10th anniversary, but the main event came with the premiere of the veteran-made zombie comedy "Range 15," which received the red carpet treatment. Nick Palmisciano, a former Army officer and one of the film's writers/producers/stars, was no stranger to the festival, having submitted several smaller documentaries including "Warriors," which focused on Army combatives.
The festival was around "when no one else was really supporting the military and the arts," said Palmisciano, founder of the Ranger Up apparel company. He recalled a particularly moving moment after the screening of a documentary on the service members who fought in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
After the film, someone addressing the crowd said, "I'd like everybody in the audience who served in the Korean War to stand up," Palmisciano said. "There were like 14 people [standing]. We'd just watched the most powerful story we'd ever seen, and then you realize the men are in this room."
After "Warrior" screened, Palmisciano said one of the movie's stars in attendance "got a better response than I've seen UFC fighters get" when the lights went up. "It was a powerful moment, because it shows the power of film."
Like Millett, however, Palmisciano saw the need to expand the military-movie genre. That made "Range 15" a fine fit, and last year's GI Choice award recipient.
"We thought it was important to have something that had a significantly different message," Palmisciano said. "You can only take so much of the negative permutations associated with being a veteran. … There aren't a lot of movies that kind of embrace the fact that the troops are regular people, and often very successful people, and it's OK for them to have fun."
MAKING THE PITCH
The festival has hosted more than 400 films, Millett said, but a new event this year may launch even more.
PitchFest, a "Shark Tank"-inspired project, will put 20 contestants in front of a panel of entertainment-industry experts and give them two minutes to outline their movie idea. The top three choices from the May 26 event will pitch again during the festival's May 28 awards ceremony, with the winner receiving a prize package.
Festival organizers also recognized 11 screenplays of unproduced projects, giving their authors a higher profile among industry insiders.
It's another step in the Milletts' 11-year effort "to facilitate an introduction between those two seemingly disparate communities, Hollywood and the military," Brandon Millett said. "And this strategy has worked beautifully. … Hollywood is now laser-focused on producing films that portray service members as the heroes, rather than the villains."
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
