Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in France during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller, on their mission to locate Private James Francis Ryan and bring him home safely after his three brothers are killed in action. The cast also includes Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, and Jeremy Davies.
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Hanks' films have grossed more than $4.9 billion in North America and more than $9.96 billion worldwide, making him the fourth-highest-grossing actor in North America. He has received numerous honors including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honor both in 2016, as well as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2020.
Cast Away is a 2000 American survival drama film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy. Hanks plays a FedEx troubleshooter who is stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific, and the plot focuses on his desperate attempts to survive and return home. Initial filming took place from January to March 1999 before resuming in April 2000 and concluding that May.
October Sky is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Lewis Colick, based on the memoir of the same name, tells the true story of Homer H. Hickam Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer.
Terry Sanders is an American filmmaker having produced and/or directed more than 70 dramatic features, televisions specials, documentaries and portrait films. He co-heads the American Film Foundation and has produced and photographed the Oscar-winning dramatic short A Time Out of War. He also received an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision. He also produced and co-directed Crime & Punishment, USA with his now-deceased brother, Denis Sanders. He is the son of sculptor and designer Altina Schinasi.
The American Film Foundation is a production company based in Southern California. The foundation is headed by Terry Sanders and Freida Lee Mock who have combined to create more than 60 documentary and feature films.
Freida Lee Mock is an American filmmaker, director, screenwriter and producer. She is a co-founder of the American Film Foundation with Terry Sanders. Her documentary, Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994) won an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary in 1995.
Rose Kennedy: A Life To Remember is a short documentary directed by Terry Sanders and produced by Sanders with Freida Lee Mock. It was nominated for a Best Documentary Short Oscar in 1991.
Screenwriters: Words Into Image (1982) is a PBS documentary series produced in the United States and featuring six 30-minute episodes. Each explored the work of a single significant American screenwriter. The series was directed by Terry Sanders and Freida Lee Mock. Individual episodes featured Carl Foreman, who was blacklisted in the 1950s after being classified as an uncooperative witness by the House Unamerican Activities Committee and worked for years in Great Britain; William Goldman, Paul Mazursky, Eleanor Perry, Neil Simon, and Robert Towne.
The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Cleveland, Ohio. CIFF is the largest film festival in Ohio. It was first held in 1977, showcasing seven feature films from ten countries over ten weeks at the Cedar Lee Theatre. Throughout its history, CIFF has experienced tremendous growth. Its 46th festival in 2022 included an in-person and virtual component with 328 films from 99 countries and a total attendance of 77,531 filmgoers. 2023 marked CIFF's 47th year. CIFF is also an Academy Award qualifying festival.
Jessica Sanders is an American producer, director and screenwriter.
In the Valley of Elah is a 2007 American crime drama film written and directed by Paul Haggis. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Susan Sarandon. Its title refers to the Biblical valley where the battle between David and Goliath took place.
Never Give Up: The 20th Century Odyssey of Herbert Zipper is a 1995 short documentary film about conductor and music educator Herbert Zipper. It was written, directed, and produced by Terry Sanders, with Freida Lee Mock co-producing. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short at the 68th Academy Awards in 1996.
The Young Girl and the Monsoon is a 1999 comedy-drama film from Monsoon Productions and starring Terry Kinney and Ellen Muth. Writer-director James Ryan won Best Screenplay and the Gold Medal at the Wine Country Film Festival in 2000 for the film.
The Greenwich International Film Festival is a non-profit organization that celebrates the visual arts in Greenwich, CT, with an annual film festival in June and supporting events throughout the year. The Festival, located in downtown Greenwich, features film screenings, premieres, events and parties showcasing filmmakers, panel discussions, and an award ceremony. The Festival focuses on "socially conscious" films, acting in partnership with nonprofits.
Victor Love is an American actor, best known for the role of Bigger Thomas in the 1986 movie adaptation of the Richard Wright novel Native Son, for which he was nominated the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.
Hayden James Lockhart is a retired United States Air Force officer who is best known for being the first U.S. Air Force pilot to be shot down in North Vietnam.
Greyhound is a 2020 American war film directed by Aaron Schneider and starring Tom Hanks, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd by C. S. Forester, and also stars Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, and Elisabeth Shue. The film follows a US Navy commander on his first assignment commanding a multi-national escort destroyer group of four defending an Allied convoy of thirty-seven ships from German U-boats in early 1942 during the Battle of the Atlantic, shortly after the United States has officially entered World War II.
Phillip Neal "Phil" Butler is a retired United States Navy officer and pilot. He was the eighth-longest-held U.S. prisoner of war (POW) held in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Butler, who was forced to eject after a mid-air explosion on April 20, 1965, was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam until his release as part of Operation Homecoming in 1973. Butler was one of the five POWs credited with establishing the tap code. The code enabled the prisoners to communicate with each other.
