Jessica Taylor (Harriet Beecher) and Thomas Alan Taylor (Theodore Weld) in SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER.
A special screening of the award-winning docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder will be showcased at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2136 Brady Street, Davenport, Iowa on Tuesday, November 9 at 700 PM. The event is free to the public. Q&A with Emmy®-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle (Fourth Wall Films), Executive Producer Kimberly Kurtenbach, the films' stars Jessica Taylor and Thomas Alan Taylor, and the film's composer William Campbell will follow the film. The film received three Mid-America Emmy® nominations in 2020, including Original Score by William Campbell.
Mark Winn as Frederick Douglass in SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER.
Discussing the abolition of slavery in 1834 was considered radical, even in the North. Organized by firebrand abolitionist Theodore Weld (Thomas Alan Taylor), the nation’s first public debates at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio led to near riot conditions in the city. The shocking oratory sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher (Stowe) to the horrors of slavery. Harriet (Jessica Taylor) was captivated by Weld’s charismatic leadership at a time when Calvin Stowe was trying to win her heart. Inspired by Weld and the debates, Harriet later distilled her Cincinnati experiences into the world-wide best-selling novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. This forgotten true story from award-winning filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle was a prelude to America’s Civil War.
William Cambell produced the original score for "Thunder" and received an Emmy-nomination.
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 was shot by award-winning director of photography Kevin Railsback.
SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER was written by playwright, Earlene Hawley and the film is based on her play.
The film received the Harriet Beecher Stowe Power of Voice Award at the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival, and won seven Iowa Motion Picture Awards.
Kimberly Kurtenbach as Catharine Beecher in SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER. Kim was the Executive Producer and casting director of the Emmy-nominated film.
"This is an earnest and rewarding docudrama shedding light on the origins of one of the most influential novels in American history," Ed McNulty, Visual Parables.
“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.
Principal photography for Sons & Daughters of Thunder took place at several historic sites in Illinois, including Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum and Augustana College's House on the Hill in Rock Island; the Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover; the Dillon Home Museum in Sterling; the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio; and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
The producers note that the film is not for young children, and the 96-minute film’s detailed discussions of slavery might suggest a PG-13 rating.
Sons & Daughters of Thunder continues to screen in independent theaters, at historic sites, museums, film festivals, and churches throughout the U.S. The film is available on DVD at Amazon.com and FourthWallFilms.com. The docudrama had its broadcast premiere on WQPT-PBS and has aired on other PBS stations throughout the Midwest.
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.
Filmmakers Tammy & Kelly Rundle, Fourth Wall Films.
The Rundles are the producers of the Emmy® Award winning Over and Under: Wildlife Crossings, and 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 Lost Nation: The Ioway, and The Barn Raisers.
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