Iraq Vet Puts War Story Into Stop-Motion

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Press Release from In Their Boots

Los Angeles - While our nation's military conflicts continue in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new generation of Veterans are returning to tell their war stories on film by becoming the directors and producers of their own documentaries. In Their Boots, a documentary series, presents OPERATION IN THEIR BOOTS, a paid film fellowship that will allow five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to get behind the camera and transform their experiences at war into powerful films fit for the silver screen.

After having undergone a "Filmmakers Boot Camp," the participants of OPERATION IN THEIR BOOTS have launched into production and are going into the field to shoot their films. Each participant is provided with a $10,000 dollar budget to make their film, as well as a $7,500 stipend for their work. In addition, they are supported by the professional production team at In Their Boots.

See a clip of our "Filmmakers Boot Camp"

Please click on image or link below

http://bit.ly/OITBPromo [1]

In Their Own Words:

Please click links to see interviews with participants

Tristan Dyer (http://bit.ly/TristanDyer [2]) is using stop-motion animation narrated by returning Veterans, whose "self medication" with drugs and alcohol spiraled out of control, to delve into the psyche of abuse and recovery among Iraq and Afghan Veterans. Dyer is an Iraq War Veteran and a Maine native.

Kyle Hartnett (http://bit.ly/kylehartnett [3]) is examining what it's like for Muslim-Americans to serve in the U.S. Military in an era where Islam is sometimes synonymous with terrorism. Hartnett is a veteran of war in Afghanistan and a native of Fairfield, in the San Francisco Bay area.

Chris Mandia (http://bit.ly/chrismandia [4]) is exploring the isolation that Veterans encounter when transitioning from the battlefield to the college campus among peers who have not experienced war first hand. Mandia is an Iraq War Veteran and Southern California native.

Victor Manzano (http://bit.ly/victormanzanoenglish [5]) is chronicling the harrowing life of fellow Marine Rudy Reyes. Reyes rose out of child abuse and poverty to become a highly skilled Recognizant Marine and actor who played himself in HBO's Generation Kill. Manzano is an Iraq/Afghanistan War Veteran, father and El Salvador native.

Clint Van Winkle, (http://bit.ly/ClintVanWinkle [6]) is delving into a fellow Marine's survivor's guilt, and the toll it has taken, as a result of a comrade death in Haidtha, Iraq. Clint is an Iraq War Veteran, author of Soft Spots: A Marine's Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Florida native, and Arizona resident.

IN THEIR BOOTS, now in its third year of production, is a documentary series about the impact the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are having on people here at home. Each episode is available for free viewing online at www.intheirboots.com [7]. All stories focus on the individual and collective experiences of our men and women in uniform returning from serving our nation.  These are told from a non-ideological, non-partisan perspective. In Their Boots is a production of Brave New Foundation.