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“The Barn Raisers” Filmmakers Receive Emmy Nomination for New Film

The Barn Raisers producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle, of Fourth Wall Films, have received a Mid-America Emmy® nomination for their new documentary Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City. This is the Rundles' fourth Regional Emmy® nomination. 

The Moline, Illinois-based independent production company successfully competed with 42 proposals by 36 other media production companies nationwide to win a contract to produce "Good Earth" for the visitors center at South Dakota's newest State Park, Good Earth at Blood Run.

Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City tells the fascinating and forgotten story of the Blood Run National Historic Landmark as told by a Native American grandfather to his grandchildren. Produced in 4K, the documentary combines vivid present-day views of the park's scenic vistas and wildlife with dramatic historical reenactments portraying daily life in the year 1650. 

The Good Earth site in Iowa and South Dakota was occupied between 1500 and 1725 by ancestors of the present-day Omaha, Ponca, Ioway and Otoe-Missouria tribes, making it one of the oldest long-term habitation sites in the United States.  At its peak around 1650, the site was home to 6,000-10,000 residents--more than Boston (2,000) and New York (New Amsterdam-1,000) in that same year--making It the largest city in what is now the United States.

Good Earth was an important Native trading center for pipestone, bison hides and culture.  The once-vibrant city featured hundreds of lodges, earthen mounds, and a serpent-shaped effigy mound an eighth of a mile long.

 

Fourth Wall Films is an Emmy® nominated and award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  The Rundles are the producers of the award-winning The Barn Raisers, Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg (co-produced with McMarr, Ltd.), Lost Nation: The Ioway series, Villisca: Living with a Mystery; the Emmy® nominated Country School: One Room - One Nation, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, and Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT); and the soon-to-be released docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

Fourth Wall Films focuses on telling Midwestern stories through historical documentary films that reach viewers via PBS broadcasts, theaters, film festivals, national DVD release and online streaming.

To purchase Fourth Wall Films'  The Barn Raisers or their other award-winning documentaries on DVD, click HERE!

"The Barn Raisers" & "Good Earth" Win Bronze Telly® Awards

Quad Cities—Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films are pleased to announce that their historical documentary film The Barn Raisers, and the museum film they produced for South Dakota, Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, have won Bronze Telly® Awards in the 39th annual competition.

The Barn Raisers tells the story of Midwestern barns by examining them through the lens of architecture.  The film explores what building methods, barn styles, and materials tell us about the people who built them, the life they lived, and the role these “country cathedrals” played in the settling and building of the Nation.

Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City presents the fascinating and forgotten story of the Blood Run National Historic Landmark. The documentary combines vivid present-day views of the park's scenic vistas and wildlife with dramatic historical reenactments portraying daily life in the year 1650. The Good Earth site in Iowa and South Dakota was occupied between 1500 and 1725 by ancestors of the present-day Omaha, Ponca, Ioway and Otoe tribes. At its peak, the site was home to 6,000-10,000 residents--the largest city in what is now the United States.

“It is exciting to see how perfectly this year’s winners capture the innovation and energy of the rapidly changing video and television industry,” said Telly's managing director Sabrina Dridje.

"The Barn Raisers" and "Good Earth" were selected from among over 12,000 entries from all fifty states and five continents. Other 2018 Bronze Telly® Award winners include PBS (Ken Burns and Lynn Novick), CBS, NBC, HBO and numerous local PBS stations.

The Rundles have received Telly® Awards previously for Lost Nation: The Ioway and Country School: One Room - One Nation.

The Telly® Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens. Entrants are judged by The Telly® Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks.

Fourth Wall Films is an independent media production and distribution company based in Moline, Illinois.

"The Barn Raisers" wins Gold at Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival

Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films won the Gold Eddy award in the Professional Documentary category for “The Barn Raisers” at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival April 7th.

In addition to the Best Documentary win, The Barn Raisers received the Judge’s Choice at the Iowa Independent Film Festival.

The film has been an Official Selection at eight film festivals, including the Newport Beach Film Festival, Beloit International Film Festival, Interrobang Film Festival, the Royal Starr Film Festival, Sunback Film Festival, and the Newport Beach Film Festival at Sea.

To order The Barn Raisers DVD, visit http://www.fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm. 

Wisconsin Humanities Council Showcases “The Barn Raisers” at Richland County Performing Arts Center Oct. 15

"The Barn Raisers" key art features the beautiful Marlow-Saak Barn in Allamakee County, Iowa.

The new documentary The Barn Raisers by Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will be showcased at a Wisconsin Humanities Council sneak preview on Saturday, October 15th at the Richland County Performing Arts Center, 182 N Central Ave. Richland Center, WI. This special program is free to the public and sponsored by the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the Richland County Historical Society.  The one-hour film will begin at 2:00 p.m. followed by Q&A with the filmmakers and barn architectural historian James Draeger and Dr. William Tishler, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture at UW-Madison.

Richland County Performing Arts Center will host "The Barn Raisers" on Oct. 15th.

The Barn Raisers tells the story of barns in the Upper Midwest by examining them through the lens of architecture. The film explores what barn styles, building methods and materials tell us about the people who built them, the life they lived and the role these “country cathedrals” played in the settling and building of the Nation.

Barns were constructed by farmer-craftsmen, professional builders who traveled from job to job and even architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.  The Barn Raisers will paint a cinematic portrait of barns and builders, an important way of life that has been largely forgotten, and the film will remind us that these remnants from America’s rural past are still here to be interpreted and experienced.

A number of Wisconsin barns appear in the film.  Also featured are Frank Lloyd Wright’s Midway Barn at Taliesin in Spring Green, the 1897 Dairy Barn at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the story of notable African American barn builder Algie Shivers who designed and constructed many of Vernon County's round barns in the early 20th century. In addition to Wisconsin, the film was shot in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Michigan.

The Barn Raisers was funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Wisconsin. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The Wisconsin Humanities Council supports and creates programs that use history, culture, and discussion to strengthen community life for everyone in Wisconsin. The Richland County Historical Society is the fiscal sponsor for the documentary film project.

The Rundles are the producers of the regional Emmy® nominated historical documentaries Country School: One Room – One Nation, River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6 and Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT-PBS).

"The Barn Raisers" Awarded Grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson County

Award-winning filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle (center) accept a check for $2,500 from Executive Director Mary Jo Gothard (right) for "The Barn Raisers" film project from the Community Foundation of Jackson County. The fiscal sponsor for the grant is the Jackson County Historical Society represented by Caroline Bredekamp.

Filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, through their fiscal sponsor The Jackson County Historical Society, received a grant award of $2,500 from the Community Foundation of Jackson County for their historical documentary The Barn Raisers. The grant will be used for production film-work in Jackson County, Iowa.

"We are grateful to the Community Foundation of Jackson County and the board for awarding a grant to our historical documentary The Barn Raisers," said producer Tammy Rundle.  "We are looking forward to returning to Jackson County this fall to film a number of the magnificent barns in the area."

The Barn Raisers will paint a cinematic portrait of barns and builders and remind us that these remnants from America's rural past are still here to be appreciated and experienced.

The Rundles received a regional Emmy® nomination for the documentary Country School: One Room - One Nation, and filmed in Jackson County for the project.  The restored North Bend Community Center in Spragueville, Iowa was featured in the film. The Barn Raisers project is a companion piece to Country School.

In addition to the Community Foundation of Jackson County, The Barn Raisers has also been funded in part by grants from Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (National Park Service), Humanities Iowa, the Wisconsin Humanities Council, the Kansas Humanities Council, the Ohio Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Michigan Barn Preservation Network and the National Barn Alliance.  Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in The Barn Raisers do not necessarily represent those of these organizations.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  To view a catalog of Fourth Wall Films' award-winning films, click HERE.

For more information about how you can support the documentary The Barn Raisers visit Barnmovie.com.

Kansas Humanities Council Awards Grant to "The Barn Raisers"

Through their fiscal sponsor, The Kansas Barn Alliance, Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films have received a major grant from the Kansas Humanities Council (KHC) in support of their new documentary feature-film The Barn Raisers. 

The grant will provide partial funding for production on the documentary project in the state of Kansas.  The Barn Raisers is a companion film to the Rundles' Emmy® nominated historical documentary feature film Country School: One Room – One Nation. 

“We are grateful to our fiscal sponsor The Kansas Barn Alliance for advocating our work on this important documantary project, and to the Kansas Humanities Council for the grant award for The Barn Raisers, and the support we received previously from KHC for Country School: One Room - One Nation, and Lost Nation: The Ioway 1, 2&3," said Producer Kelly Rundle.

The Barn Raisers tells the story of barns in the Upper Midwest by examining them through the lens of architecture. The film will explore how barn styles, building methods and materials tell us about the people who built them, the life they lived and the role these “country cathedrals” played in the settling and building of the Nation.

Barns were constructed by farmer-craftsmen, professional builders who traveled from job to job and even architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.  The Barn Raisers will paint a cinematic portrait of barns and builders, an important way of life that has been largely forgotten, and the film will remind us that these remnants from America’s rural past are still here to be interpreted and experienced.

As in the Country School film, The Barn Raisers will feature contemporary stories of people and groups throughout the Midwest who are actively involved in barn preservation and restoration projects.

The Barn Raisers is slated for release in 2015.  For more information about the new documentary, visit www.BarnMovie.com and the film's Facebook Fan Page.

The Kansas Humanities Council is a nonprofit cultural organization promoting understanding of the history, traditions, and ideas that shape our lives and build community.   Visit www.kansashumanities.org for more information.

The Kansas Barn Alliance, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to discover, memorialize and preserve the story of rural Kansas, especially barns.  The Kansas Barn Alliance mission is to educate those who own and/or appreciate this rural icon about the importance of preservation, reuse, and financial incentives.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

"The Barn Raisers" Awarded Major Grant by Ohio Humanities Council

Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films have been awarded a major grant from the Ohio Humanities Council (OHC) for their new documentary feature film The Barn Raisers.  Friends of the Ohio Barns is serving as the fiscal sponsor for the project.

The Barn Raisers, a companion film to their Emmy® nominated historical documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation, tells the story of barns in the Upper Midwest by examining them through the lens of architecture.  The film will explore how barn styles, building methods and materials tell us about the people who built them, the life they lived and the role these “country cathedrals” played in the settling and building of the Nation.

Barns were constructed by farmer-craftsmen, professional builders who traveled from job to job and even architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.  The Barn Raisers will paint a cinematic portrait of barns and builders, an important way of life that has been largely forgotten, and the film will remind us that these remnants from America’s rural past are still here to be interpreted and experienced.

“This is our first grant received by the Ohio Humanities Council for a media project and we are very grateful for their support on this important story,” said producer Tammy Rundle.  “We are looking forward to working with Friends of Ohio Barns and to documenting many incredible structures in Ohio.”

Funding provided by the OHC grant will be used to film on-camera interviews with numerous barn scholars and footage of Ohio barns.  Release of The Barn Raisers is slated for 2015/2016, with a national DVD release and Midwestern PBS broadcasts to follow. 

In addition to the Ohio Humanities Council, The Barn Raisers is funded in part by grants from Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, Humanities Iowa, the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in The Barn Raisers do not necessarily represent those of the Ohio Humanities Council, HI, WHC, SSNHA or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Ohio Humanities Council is an independent, nonprofit organization funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and private contributions.  OHC aims “to increase Ohioans’ appreciation and understanding of the humanities” through the Council’s grantmaking capacity and through programs developed by the Council itself. Based in Columbus but operating statewide, the Council provides assistance to grant applicants, oversees Council-developed programs, and promotes the humanities in Ohio through collaborations with cultural and educational institutions. The Council is governed by a volunteer board which makes decisions on grant awards and sets policy.

Friends of Ohio Barns is a non-profit organization formed to support and promote through education the awareness and understanding of the significance of Ohio’s historic barns within their agricultural and architectural context, and their maintenance requirements. To encourage programs that provide resources for their stewardship and conservation as a lasting icon of our cultural heritage.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

The Wisconsin Humanities Council Awards "The Barn Raisers" Major Grant

Emmy® nominated husband and wife documentary filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films received a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council for their new documentary The Barn Raisers.  The fiscal sponsor for the project is the Richland County Historical Society.

“We are excited to be working with the Richland County Historical Society again and are grateful to receive this grant award from the Wisconsin Humanities Council,” said producer Kelly Rundle.  “This is the third documentary project in which we have received the support of WHC.”

The Barn Raisers is a companion project to the Rundles' Emmy® nominated historical documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation, and will once again feature writer Jerry Apps as a scholar and on-camera interview on the project. 

The Barn Raisers tells the story of barns in the Upper Midwest by examining them through the lens of architecture.  The documentary feature film will paint a cinematic portrait of barns and builders, an important way of life that has been largely forgotten, and remind us that these remnants from America’s rural past are still here to be interpreted and experienced.

In addition to WHC, The Barn Raisers is funded in part by grants from Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Filming will take place throughout Wisconsin in 2014.  The documentary is slated for release in 2015.

The Wisconsin Humanities Council, a non-profit organization, supports and creates programs that use history, culture, and discussion to strengthen community life for everyone in Wisconsin.  Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in The Barn Raisers do not necessarily represent those of the Wisconsin Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“The Barn Raisers” Documentary Awarded Grant from Humanities Iowa and National Endowment for the Humanities

Through their fiscal sponsor, Kansas Public Telecommmunications, Inc. (KPTS), Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films have received a grant from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in support of their new documentary The Barn Raisers. 

The grant enables the Rundles to begin production on the documentary project which is a companion film to their Emmy® nominated historical documentary feature film Country School: One Room – One Nation. 

“We are very grateful for the grant for The Barn Raisers and the support we received previously from Humanities Iowa for Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, Country School: One Room - One Nation, Lost Nation: The Ioway 1, 2&3 and Villisca: Living with a Mystery," said Producer Kelly Rundle.  “Humanities Iowa has been an important partner in our quest to create entertaining and enlightening historical documentaries on important Midwestern subjects.”

The Barn Raisers tells the story of barns in the Upper Midwest by examining them through the lens of architecture. The film will explore how barn styles, building methods and materials tell us about the people who built them, the life they lived and the role these “country cathedrals” played in the settling and building of the Nation.

Barns were constructed by farmer-craftsmen, professional builders who traveled from job to job and even architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.  The Barn Raisers will paint a cinematic portrait of barns and builders, an important way of life that has been largely forgotten, and the film will remind us that these remnants from America’s rural past are still here to be interpreted and experienced.

As in the Country School film, The Barn Raisers will feature contemporary stories of people and groups throughout the Midwest who are actively involved in barn preservation and restoration projects.

The Barn Raisers is slated for release in 2015.  For more information about the new documentary, visit www.BarnMovie.com and the film's Facebook Fan Page.

Humanities Iowa is the only non-profit organization in Iowa committed to bringing the humanities to life and to the public through interactive programming, publications, and events.  The Barn Raisers is supported by Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The views and opinions expressed by this program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities Iowa or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

KPTS is a publicly-owned television station that educates, engages, entertains and enriches Kansans and viewers of all ages and in all walks of life by illuminating the challenges faced by society and presenting civilization's highest achievements.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area Awards Grant to "The Barn Raisers" Documentary

Documentary filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films have announced the beginning of production on their new film The Barn Raisers.  Through its fiscal sponsor Kansas Public Telecommunications Service, Inc., the new project was awarded a grant and the support of Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA).

“We are very grateful for the grant for The Barn Raisers and the support we received previously from Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area for Lost Nation: The Ioway 1, 2 & 3 and Country School: One Room - One Nation," said Producer Tammy Rundle.  “SSNHA has been a great supporter of our documentary film work about Iowa's rural and agricultural past.”

The Rundles received the 2011 Golden Silo Award for Outstanding Preservation in Agriculture from SSNHA for their documentaries Lost Nation: The Ioway 1 and Country School: One Room - One Nation.

The Barn Raisers, a companion film to their Emmy® nominated historical documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation, tells the story of barns in the Upper Midwest by examining them through the lens of architecture.  The film will explore how barn styles, building methods and materials tell us about the people who built them, the life they lived and the role these “country cathedrals” played in the settling and building of the Nation.

Barns were constructed by farmer-craftsmen, professional builders who traveled from job to job and even architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.  The Barn Raisers will paint a cinematic portrait of barns and builders, an important way of life that has been largely forgotten, and the film will remind us that these remnants from America’s rural past are still here to be interpreted and experienced.

Funding provided by the SSNHA grant will be used to film within the Heritage Area’s 37-county region in Northeast Iowa, including the Communal Agriculture 1860 barn, Ackley Heritage Center Prairie Settlement Barn, Hardin County Farm Museum Barn, Tyden Farm No. 6, Barn Quilts of Grundy Center and others.

Release of The Barn Raisers is slated for 2015, with a national DVD release and Midwestern PBS broadcasts to follow. 

Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service.  Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area preserves and tells the story of American agriculture and its global significance through partnerships and activities that celebrate the land, people and communities of the area.

KPTS is a publicly-owned television station that educates, engages, entertains and enriches Kansans and viewers of all ages and in all walks of life by illuminating the challenges faced by society and presenting civilization's highest achievements.

The Rundles are former Iowa residents with Tammy hailing from Waterloo.  Kelly was born in Wisconsin, and grew up in the Quad Cities.  The Rundles own Fourth Wall Films, an independent film and video production company formerly based in Los Angeles and now located in Moline, Illinois.