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WWII film conference to feature Donald Miller, Rick
Atkinson and a host of celebrated authors
Real to Reel: World War II in Film, Documentaries
& Newsreels to examine how WWII influenced film and how
film shaped our memories
NEW ORLEANS – The pivotal years of World War II have
influenced and inspired filmmakers, documentarians and
the media for more than 60 years. To commemorate and
reflect upon this important era, The National World War
II Museum in New Orleans will present Real to Reel:
World War II in Film, Documentaries & Newsreels, April
10-12, 2008.
The Museum’s Second International Conference on World
War II will feature celebrated authors along with
experts and historians from the world of film presenting
and discussing documentaries, newsreels, and Hollywood
films and the impact and influence of this medium on
America’s memories and perceptions of World War II over
the years. Panels also will examine the complicated
relationship between the film medium and the portrayal
of history.
“World War II has been the focus of many important and
compelling film productions, including The Longest Day,
Saving Private Ryan, Flags of Our Fathers, The Shooting
War, and most recently, Ken Burns’ THE WAR,” said Gordon
H. “Nick” Mueller, Ph.D., President and CEO of The
National World War II Museum. “When planning our second
annual International Conference on World War II, we
wanted to examine this fascinating and little-studied
aspect of World War II.”
Presenters include Donald L. Miller, bestselling author
of a number of World War II books including the recent
Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the
Air War Against Nazi Germany; Rick Atkinson, a Pulitzer
prize winner who recently completed The Day of Battle:
The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, the second
volume of his Liberation Trilogy; Gerhard L. Weinberg,
who’s WWII epic A World at Arms has now sold more than
150,000 copies and has been translated into several
languages; James McBride, whose work Miracle at St. Anna
is now being made into a film by Spike Lee; Carlo D’Este,
author of Patton: A Genius for War; Lawrence H. Suid,
author of Guts & Glory: The Making of the American
Military Image in Film and Sailing on the Silver Screen:
Hollywood and the U.S. Navy; and many others.
Additional panelists will include Catherine Wyler,
producer of Memphis Belle and daughter of famed director
William Wyler, who will share her insights on her
father’s passion for portraying the sacrifice of
American soldiers in World War II; James Moll, filmmaker
and director of the Museum’s exclusive film, Price for
Peace, and the films Survivors of the Holocaust and
Voices from the List, will share his perspective on
translating the raw emotions of war via film; USMC
combat photographer, SSgt. Norman “Norm” Hatch will
screen his original footage of live combat film from the
brutal Battle of Tarawa; and Benjamin Patton will
discuss the portrayal of his iconic grandfather, General
George S. Patton, in film.
The closing banquet and keynote presentation, Band of
Brothers – Translating Real Life to Film, will feature
actor Michael Cudlitz from the HBO miniseries Band of
Brothers, screenwriter John Orloff and historian Hugh
Ambrose, who is currently working on The Pacific, HBO's
sequel to its Emmy-winning miniseries, Band of Brothers.
All sessions will be held at the Marriott Convention
Center Boulevard in downtown New Orleans. A reception
will be held at the Museum to unveil the accompanying
special exhibition, Real to Reel: Hollywood and World
War II. The special exhibition highlights the role of
pre-war superstars from the battlefront to the Home
Front, the relationship between the studios and the
Office of War Information and the story of how the war
gave so many future stars their big break. The closing
Band of Brothers banquet will also be held at the
Museum.
Individual tickets are available starting at $299 for a
full conference pass and $129 for select day passes. The
Museum’s Travel Department has also created affordable
conference and hotel combo packages. As always,
discounts are available for Museum members. Call
1-877-813-3329 x 257 for additional information. For
updates on this exciting conference or to purchase your
tickets securely online, visit
www.warfilms.org.
The National World War II Museum was dedicated in 2000
as The National D-Day Museum and recently has been
designated by Congress as the country’s official
national World War II museum. It illuminates the
American experience during the war era and celebrates
the American spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and
sacrifice of the men and women who won World War II. The
National World War II Museum is currently undertaking a
$300 million expansion that, when complete, will create
a six-acre campus of exhibition pavilions, an advanced
format 4-D theater, USO venue, and a research and
conference center in downtown New Orleans. For more
information about The National World War II Museum, call
504-527-6012 or visit online at
www.nationalww2museum.org.
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