Truth First Film Alliance is partnering with the Figge Art Museum to present the Stout Hearted: George Stout and the Guardians of Art on Veterans Day evening November 11,, 2021. The documentary will screen free to the public at 6:30 p.m. in the Figge’s John Deere Auditorium. Director Kevin J. Kelley and producer Marie Wilkes will take part in Q&A following the 81-minute film. Veterans are admitted free to Figge Art Museum exhibits on Veterans Day. The program is sponsored by the Northwest Illinois Film Office and Produce Iowa.
Stout Hearted: George Stout and the Guardians of Art tells the story of George L. Stout, an art student from Winterset, Iowa, who became the leader of the Monuments Men during World War II. This group, a military special forces unit, was assigned the mission of retrieving stolen art from the Nazis. The film also explores Stout's pioneering efforts in the areas of art conservation, which elevated this discipline into the world of modern science. Many of his innovations are used today to preserve masterworks from deterioration and extinction. Today, the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield continues the work of Stout L. Stout and The Monuments Men by protecting cultural heritage globally. The documentary features interviews with historians, Stout’s family members and biographers.
In the Hollywood film Monuments Men, George Stout was played by actor George Clooney.
Stout Hearted: George Stout and the Guardians of Art, was produced by Marie Wilkes and directed by Kevin J. Kelley. The film recently received a Mid-America Emmy nomination.
“What’s so great about documentary films, or any film, is that you take the audience through the journey of this subject and then at the end you feel like you’ve been somewhere,” said Kelley.
"Stout Hearted" Producer Marie Wilkes and Director Kevin Kelley.
Kelley has won two Mid-America EMMY Awards©, two CINE Golden Eagle Awards, and three New York Festivals World Medals. Together the couple’s work has screened nationally and internationally at film festivals in Los Angeles, New York, London, Spain and Germany, and aired on HBO, PBS, ABC, CBS and ESPN. Wilkes is president of New Mile Media Arts, Kelley’s nonprofit film production company.
The Figge Art Museum is located at 225 West 2nd Street in Davenport, Iowa. This is the first public program sponsored by Truth First Film Alliance, Inc. All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks inside the museum, as per the CDC guidelines.
Truth First Film Alliance, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports and encourages the production and exhibition of documentary films, and narrative films based on true stories, through public presentations and educational programs in the Quad Cities region. For more information, visit TruthFirstFilmAlliance.org.
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