Tampa Film Fan

three soldiers’ stories from ironweed film club

July 4, 2007 at 1:20 pm | In Film Series, DVDs, Movies |

An interesting DVD arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago, courtesy of the Ironweed Film Club. Here’s what their recent newsletter had to say:

This month Ironweed delivers three illuminating stories of soldiers and their conflicted emotions towards their jobs, peers, family and society at large.

The War Tapes — Through unfiltered and raw footage, three National Guardsmen capture their day-to-day lives in Iraq with cameras mounted to their bodies and vehicles. Join these soldiers in a ground-breaking film that bucks the sanitized mass media images of warfare to deliver a comprehensive picture of ordinary people at odds with themselves and external environment. Accolades: Tribeca Film Festival - Winner, Best Doc; Britdoc Festival - Winner, Best International Doc.

The Grass Grows Green — Aptly titled after a Marine Corps chant attributing fresh, fertile grass to the sacrifice and blood of fallen soldiers, this powerful narrative portrays the life of a military recruiter. When Sgt. Lobos discovers that one of his recruits died in battle, he grapples with his complex relationship with his job and community. Accolades: Sundance Film Festival - Official Selection; South By Southwest Film Festival - Official Selection.

All That I Can Be — Student filmmakers at the Educational Video Center follow their friend as he makes the difficult decision to join the U.S. Army in a time of war. Co-producer Antonio Abreu writes: “People I know are joining the military because they need money for college and they don’t want to work at McDonald’s like they did in high school.” Accolades: Economic Justice Award - Winner; Media That Matters Film Festival - Official Selection.

Visit www.ironweedfilmclub.com to learn more about this unique DVD club. For info on Ironweed Film Club screenings at the Studio(at)620 in St. Pete, click here.