NEW ORLEANS – To commemorate an era that has influenced and inspired filmmakers, documentarians and the media for more than 60 years, The National World War II Museum in New Orleans will present Real to Reel: World War II in Film, Documentaries & Newsreels (www.warfilms.org), a special film conference, April 10-12, 2008.
As the Museum’s second International Conference on World War II, the conference will feature celebrated authors, industry insiders and historians from the world of film. Panels will focus on the impact and influence of the film medium on America’s memories of World War II. Panels will also examine the intricate relationship between film and the portrayal of history.
Presenters include Catherine Wyler, producer of Memphis Belle and daughter of famed director William Wyler, and Oscar and Emmy winning filmmaker James Moll. Additional panelists include USMC combat photographer and Academy Award winner, SSgt. Norman “Norm” Hatch; James McBride, whose work Miracle at St. Anna is now being made into a film by Spike Lee; and celebrated authors Donald L. Miller, Rick Atkinson, Gerhard L. Weinberg and Lawrence H. Suid.
The closing banquet and keynote presentation, Band of Brothers – Translating Real Life to Film, will feature actors Ron Livingston (Capt. Lewis Nixon) and Michael Cudlitz (Sgt. Denver “Bull” Randleman), and screenwriter John Orloff from the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. Historian Hugh Ambrose, who is currently working on The Pacific, HBO's sequel to the Emmy-winning miniseries, will serve as moderator.
The conference marks the opening for the accompanying special exhibition, Real to Reel: Hollywood and World War II, highlighting 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.
For updates on this exciting conference or to purchase your tickets securely online, visit www.warfilms.org, or call toll free 1-877-813-3329 x 257.