Mid-America Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will attend a special sneak preview screening of their new film Sons & Daughters of Thunder on September 15 at 1:00 p.m. at the Marengo Public Library, 235 E. Hilton Street, Marengo, Iowa. The event is free to the public and sponsored by the Friends of the Marengo Public Library Foundation. The Rundles will take part in Q&A following the film presentation.
“Sons & Daughters of Thunder is a fascinating, inspiring slice of influential U.S. history told with characteristic grace, intelligence and emotional power…” wrote Jonathan Turner, film reviewer from the Dispatch-Argus.
In the early 19th Century, Christianity was at a crossroads. Fellows in the faith took up sides for or against the South’s peculiar institution of slavery 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, one of the architects of the abolitionist movement, the shocking oratory sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher 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 Iowa playwright Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America. The film was shot by award-winning director of photography Kevin Railsback and features an original score by William Campbell, the composer behind the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Lifeboat”.
“It is fitting to screen Sons & Daughters of Thunder in Marengo in September. 169 years ago in September 1850 Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law—making it illegal for anyone to help an escaped slave. The law even allowed slave owners to travel into free States to reclaim fugitive slaves,” said director Kelly Rundle. “This law, the Lane Debates, and other experiences in Cincinnati, all influenced Harriet Beecher Stowe as she wrote her history-changing book.”
“It is interesting to note that Marengo has its own connection to the anti-slavery movement,” said producer Tammy Rundle. “Abolitionist John Brown and several of his men had been traveling from Southwest Missouri with twelve escaped slaves when they arrived in Marengo in February 1859 seeking a safe haven. They spent the night at the Draper Reynolds Farm just outside of Marengo.” The Fugitive Slave Act was not repealed until 1864.
The producers note that the movie is not for young children. The 96-minute film’s detailed discussions of slavery might suggest a PG-13 rating.
Sons & Daughters of Thunder is slated for national release in the fall of 2019 with screenings in independent theaters and film festivals. The film will also be released nationally on DVD, followed by broadcasts and online streaming.
Sons & Daughters of Thunder was partially funded by a grant from the Quad City Arts, provided by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation and John Deere; and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. The Moline Foundation and the Shell Rock Community Historical Society served as the fiscal sponsors for the project. For more information about Sons & Daughters of Thunder, visit www.LaneRebelsMovie.com.
The Rundles are the producers of the Emmy® nominated documentaries Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, Letters Home to Hero Street (with WQPT-PBS), and Country School: One Room – One Nation. Other award-winning productions include Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, Lost Nation: The Ioway, and The Barn Raisers.
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