Sons & Daughters of Thunder

"Thunder" Filmmakers' Emmy-nominated Documentary on IPTV August 24

"Sons & Daughters of Thunder" filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle shot over 70 schools for their film,
including Bennington #5 Schoolhouse in Waterloo, Iowa.

Iowa Public Television (IPTV-PBS) will broadcast the award-winning documentary Country School: One Room - One Nation by Tammy and Kelly Rundle (Villisca: Living with a Mystery, Lost Nation: The Ioway, Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg) on Friday, August 24, 2012 at 9:00 p.m.  The film recently received a regional Emmy-nomination in the Historical Documentary category and has won numerous film festival awards and recognition.

Country schools took rough-hewn pioneers and multilingual immigrants and transformed them into a literate and patriotic new nation.  Whether personally, or through a parent or grandparent, the country school as an American architectural icon, is as imprinted on our perception of the nation’s early history as the log cabin and the general store.  Stories told by former teachers and students are often nostalgic, but they are also dramatic, humorous, and heart-wrenching.

In addition to Country School, the Rundles produced the award-winning documentaries Villisca: Living with a Mystery, about the 1912 unsolved Villisca, Iowa axe murders of 8, and Lost Nation: The Ioway, a film about the Ioway Indians.  Currently they are in production on the documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, and a docudrama entitled Sons & Daughters of Thunder, based on the play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter.  They are in post-production on Lost Nation: The Ioway 2&3, to be released in November; and Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, a co-production with Emmy-nominated filmmaker Garry McGee, slated for release in May/June 2013.

Country School was shot in Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois and received grant awards from Humanities Iowa, Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, the Kansas Humanities and the Wisconsin Humanities.

"Thunder" Filmmakers Receive Regional Emmy® Nomination for "Country School" Documentary

Sons & Daughters of Thunder filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films have received a Regional (Mid-America) Emmy® nomination in the Historical Documentary category for their award-winning documentary film Country School: One Room – One Nation.  This is the first time the Rundles have entered a film in the Emmy® competition following a March 2012 qualifying broadcast on WQPT-PBS.

“We are deeply honored by this nomination,” said Tammy. “And, we gratefully share this wonderful distinction with everyone who helped us make the film,” added Kelly.

Country schools took rough-hewn pioneers and multilingual immigrants and transformed them into a literate and patriotic new nation. Country School: One Room - One Nation provides a never-before-seen perspective on one-room schools in the Upper Midwest. From the first schools in new states to the demise of their widespread use in the 1950s and 1960s, the visually stunning film takes viewers "back to school" for a dramatic new look at the lasting impact of America's one-room schools.

Country School premiered in 2010 at the State Historical Building in Des Moines and has since screened more than 60 times in cities throughout the United States. The critically-acclaimed film was released nationally on DVD in 2011. Iowa Public Television (IPTV) will feature broadcasts in late August and September, and broadcasts on other PBS stations will continue through the balance of 2012.

The 2012 Mid-America Emmy® Awards will be held Saturday, September 22, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at the historic Midland Theatre in Kansas City.

Country School was partially funded by grants from Humanities Iowa, Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, the Wisconsin Humanities Council, and the Kansas Humanities Council.

The Rundles are currently in production on Sons & Daughters of Thunder--a new docudrama based on the critically-acclaimed play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter.  The film will be shot in Iowa, Illinois and Ohio. 

Fourth Wall Films is a film and video production and distribution company formerly based in Los Angeles, California and now located in Moline, Illinois. In addition to Country School, they have produced the award-winning films Villisca: Living with a Mystery and Lost Nation: The Ioway. The Rundles are currently in post-production on Lost Nation: The Ioway 2&3 slated for release in November 2012. Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, produced with Emmy-nominated filmmaker Garry McGee, will be released in May of 2013.  Visit www.FourthWallFilms.com for more information.

The Mid-America chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) includes television markets primarily in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, Illinois and surrounding DMAs.

NATAS is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Award. For more information visit www.emmymid-america.org.