LRFF, Day 2: Filming Iraq
Wine, cheese, and war at the Clinton School of Public Service.... Skip Rutherford introduced the panel approx. 15 minutes after five, fawning over the (admittedly, pretty darn wonderful) Bros. Renaud. In turn, Brent introduced Paul Reickhoff, author of the bestselling Chasing Ghosts and director of the fledgling IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America), as moderator for a panel on filming Iraq. Rieckhoff was nice and assertive throughout, and towards the end unleashed a flurry of facts about the endemic failure of the VA that were more revelatory and infuriating than anything previous.
A few stray thoughts on the panelists:
Watai Takehari
Easily the most intriguing member, and not only due to his often baffling accent. A self-described video-journalist (not a filmmaker), he's covered war zones from Afghanistan to East Timor. How does he manage to capture his heart-rending verite footage? Sometimes by pretending to be a tourist. A Japanese tourist. No joke; People let him go his merry way. Little Birds just shot to the top of my list.
Dan Lohaus
Bullied into most of his comments by Reickhoff, who was involved in the production of When I Came Home, his film is distinctive in the smallness of its scope and the vastness of its implications.
The Renaud Brothers
Enough already about the (admittedly, pretty darn spectacular) Renaud brothers.
Philip Haas
Obviously felt a little out of place, but he held his own.
Sgt. Mike Moriarty
Walks the fine line between gruffly conservative sentimentalist and simply eloquent human being. Tolerated non-questions from self-congratulatory liberal activists with grace and humility.
Next up:
Offside
Sugar Creek
More free food and drinks. Huzzah!
A few stray thoughts on the panelists:
Watai Takehari
Easily the most intriguing member, and not only due to his often baffling accent. A self-described video-journalist (not a filmmaker), he's covered war zones from Afghanistan to East Timor. How does he manage to capture his heart-rending verite footage? Sometimes by pretending to be a tourist. A Japanese tourist. No joke; People let him go his merry way. Little Birds just shot to the top of my list.
Dan Lohaus
Bullied into most of his comments by Reickhoff, who was involved in the production of When I Came Home, his film is distinctive in the smallness of its scope and the vastness of its implications.
The Renaud Brothers
Enough already about the (admittedly, pretty darn spectacular) Renaud brothers.
Philip Haas
Obviously felt a little out of place, but he held his own.
Sgt. Mike Moriarty
Walks the fine line between gruffly conservative sentimentalist and simply eloquent human being. Tolerated non-questions from self-congratulatory liberal activists with grace and humility.
Next up:
Offside
Sugar Creek
More free food and drinks. Huzzah!
