QC Film Blog

Two Oscar-Winning Films Screen for Out of Darkness Event Oct. 9

Two short Oscar-winning films will screen free in the GIANT Screen Theater at the Putnam Museum and Science Center on October 9th beginning at 3pm as part of the Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today fall program. Truth First Film Alliance has partnered with the Putnam Museum to bring One Survivor Remembers, and Visas and Virtue to the Quad Cities.

One Survivor Remembers is an Academy Award® winning documentary that tells the story of Gerda Weissman Klein and her six-year ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty.

“One Survivor Remembers is the first film we thought of for this special Out of Darkness screening event,” said Kelly Rundle, co-executive director of Truth First Film Alliance. “We originally saw it in Los Angeles the day before it won an Academy Award. The film is a great example of the power of a personal story.”

Visas and Virtue, an Academy Award® winning docudrama, will also be shown. Inspired by the true story of Holocaust rescuer Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara, who is known as "The Japanese Schindler," this film portrays his experience issuing illegal transit visas to Polish and Lithuanian Jews enabling thousands to escape the Holocaust.

Free Event: One Survivor Remembers and Visas and Virtue with a virtual Q&A with Oscar-winning director and star Chris Tashima

The films will be followed by a virtual Q&A with the director and star of Visas and Virtue, Chris Tashima.

According to Rundle, both films tell unforgettable and important stories about the Holocaust that will likely be new to those who attend.

The community-wide project, Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today, is a collaborative effort to promote programming to combat the damages that persecution and discrimination have on the community and the individual. Across the community, over 20 organizations are partnering to educate the leaders of today on these lessons from history and how they remain relevant. The goal of the project is to build a more vibrant, tolerant, and inclusive community.

The films and the special Q&A will be from 3-4:30 pm on Sunday, October 9th. These screenings are FREE to the public. Both films contain adult themes and are not recommended for children under the age of 12. The Putnam Museum and Science Center is a safe space where education and the creation of meaningful dialogue is a focus.

Out of Darkness is made possible with support from the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, Scott County Regional Authority, Regional Development Authority, Rauch Family Foundation II, Inc., KWQC, and the Joyce and Tony Singh Family Foundation.

About the Putnam: The Putnam Museum brings to life a sense of place, time and purpose to ignite human potential and inspire our diverse community to learn about and care for our world and all its people. For more than 150 years, guests have experienced the Putnam’s permanent exhibits ranging from Unearthing Ancient Egypt to our family-favorite science galleries, as well as an array of programs and internationally recognized traveling exhibits. The Putnam is dedicated to helping guests discover and explore in a friendly and engaging atmosphere, including wheelchair access throughout the museum and theater, sensory friendly maps and backpacks, and wheelchairs available to borrow upon request. For more information about events, exhibits, and accessibility visit putnam.org.  

About Truth First Film Alliance: Truth First Film Alliance is a non-profit organization that promotes, supports, and encourages the production and exhibition of documentary and narrative films based on true stories through public presentations and educational programs in the Quad Cities region. For more information about this organization, visit https://truthfirstfilmalliance.org/.

About Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today: Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today is community-wide collaborative project that provides programming to counter the damaging issues of persecution and discrimination that surrounded the Holocaust but are also still prevalent today. Out of Darkness programs promote dignity, diversity, equity, democratic values, human rights, and the power of the human spirit within their community. For more information about this project, visit https://www.outofdarknessqc.com.

QC's "Thunder" Filmmakers and Stars appear at Sterling Benefit Screening April 18

A special Dillon Home Museum benefit screening of Sons & Daughters of Thunder, a new film by Mid-America Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will be held on Thursday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m. at Centennial Auditorium at Sterling High School, 1608 4th Avenue, Sterling, Illinois.  Tickets are $6/pp and can be reserved at www.centennialauditorium.org.  Proceeds benefit the preservation of the Dillon Home Museum.

Based on the critically-acclaimed play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, Sons & Daughters of Thunder tells the true story of the 1834 Cincinnati, Ohio Lane Theological Seminary anti-slavery debates. The controversial meetings, led by abolitionist and firebrand Theodore Weld (played by actor Thomas Alan Taylor), were the first to publicly discuss the end of slavery in America. The meetings angered Cincinnati residents and Lane Seminary officials, who promptly slapped a gag order on the entire student body.  This action was followed by a freedom of speech protest and mass exodus of Lane students to Oberlin College.

A young Harriet Beecher’s (played by actress Jessica Taylor) exposure to the debates and Weld's continuing work to free the slaves sparked a flame that led her to write her magnum opus Uncle Tom's Cabin.

The Dillon Home Museum in Sterling, Illinois served as one of the key locations for the movie, with numerous scenes filmed inside and outside the historic site.  Principal  photography for Sons & Daughters of Thunder took place in Illinois, Ohio and Connecticut.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder is slated for national release in April 2019 with screenings in independent theaters and film festivals. It will be released nationally on DVD in late July, followed by broadcasts on PBS stations.  For more information about Sons & Daughters of Thunder, visit www.LaneRebelsMovie.com.

Looking for great documentaries, independent, foreign, classic and other noteworthy films in the Quad-Cities area? Visit QCFilmBlog.com for the latest screenings and special film events.

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"Sons & Daughters of Thunder" Screens in Andover March 30

Following its two sold out weekends at the Putnam in Davenport and at the Garfield in Cincinnati, a special benefit screening of Sons & Daughters of Thunder, a new film by Mid-America Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will be held on Saturday March 30 at the Augustana Lutheran Church, 628 6th Street in Andover, Illinois.  A pre-show reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. until 7:15 p.m.   The film will screen at 7:30 p.m. in the main sanctuary.  The event includes a lobby display of costumes and props, and a Talkback with the filmmakers and several stars following the film.  A FREE WILL offering is asked to attend the event and benefits the preservation of the Jenny Lind Chapel.

In the early 19^th Century, Christianity was at a crossroads.  Fellows in the faith took up sides for or against the South’s peculiar institution based on their interpretation of the scriptures.  In 1834, if polite discussion about abolishing slavery were considered inappropriate among Americans in Northern states, then eighteen days of public student-sponsored debates on the divisive subject at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio were scandalous.

Organized by Theodore Weld (portrayed by actor Thomas Alan Taylor), one of the architects of the abolitionist movement, the shocking oratory sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher Stowe (played by actress Jessica Taylor) to the horrors of slavery.

When school trustees slapped a gag order on the "Lane Rebels," most of the students left the school in collective protest.  Inspired by the debates and her first-hand observations of slavery across the Ohio River, Harriet’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was described by President Abraham Lincoln as the book that started the Civil War.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder is based on the play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.  The film features an original score by William Campbell, the composer behind the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Lifeboat”.  The film stars numerous actors from the Quad Cities area, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The producers note that the film is not for young children, and the film’s detailed discussions of slavery might suggest a PG-13 rating.

The film is available to PRE-ORDER on DVD by clicking HERE. The DVDs will ship in late July.