On The Road with Interpreters Wanted: Film Festival Circuit (Part 2 of 2)

Arizona International Film Festival was a warm and welcoming festival where we took Best Documentary, Tuscon, AZ, 2024.

Ismail, Brooke and I outside of the historic Grange Hall before we screen our film, Martha's Vineyard, MA, 2024.

Brooke and us on the Press Carpet at the Dances With Films Festival, Hollywood, CA, 2024.

Saifullah, Ismail and myself visiting the Chinese Theatre when they came out for their final interview for the film, Hollywood, CA, 2022.

Welcome Back!

Appreciate all those of you who follow what’s happening in our world. If you didn’t get a chance to read part one of our film festival circuit, the link is HERE. We’re very excited also to say that on August 24, on the three-year anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal and the bombing at Abbey Gate we released Interpreters Wanted on veterantv.com. Thanks again to the Veteran Television team helping me get it out into the world when everybody else passed. This collaboration is a great example of veterans helping veterans, check out the film! Use promo code “afghanistan” for a two-day free trial. I’m excited to share a little more about the last half of our festival journey where I had some really emotional moments.

East Coast Premiere: Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival

When I got the personal email from the head of Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival Minah Oh, telling me that our film was an official selection I was ecstatic, they also offered flights and accommodations for Ismail and Saifullah, unfortunately Saifullah couldn't come but Ismail did. When Brooke and I met Ismail at Martha’s Vineyard for this film festival, it really was an amazing moment and it felt as though our film was really getting some steam.

I had no idea what to expect but we were able to sell out our first screening and when the film ended we were met with a standing ovation. We ended the time with an amazing question and answer with a local Journalistic Legend who also spent some time in the Middle East Charles Sennott and spent the rest of our time on the island being shown the beautiful areas that have now become world renown. The Martha’s Vineyard community were very warm and welcoming to our film, to Ismail and to myself as a filmmaker. One moment that stood out was having dinner with Ismail and our conversation about the things that still need to be done in the U.S. and there’s alot we still need to do!

Brooke and I also got to spend some time in Boston and we even visited the Cheers bar which reminds me of another project that I’m working on.

My brother Ismail and I outside the historic Grand Hall, Marthas Vineyard, 2024.

They had the most beautiful lighthouses even thought the weather was brutal for us Angelinos, Marthas Vineyard, 2024.

I love this man, he is wise, compassionate, intelligent, courageous, fun and the most patriotic man I've ever met, Martha's Vineyard, 2024.

Ismail, Charles Sennott and myself at the Martha's Vineyard, Film Festival, 2024.

Ismail, a Vietnam Veteran and Ismail after the screening of our film, Martha's Vineyard, 2024.

The festival goers loved talking with Ismail, Martha's Vineyard, 2024.

Charles Sennott is the editor-in-chief of the Martha's Vineyard Times has a storied history in the journalistic world. Charles was one of my favorite interviewer for the Q&A and we had a deep and enlightened conversation, Martha's Vineyard, 2024.

After the film, Ismail and I received an amazing heartwarming standing ovation, Martha's Vineyard, 2024.

Brooke and I visiting another beautiful Martha's Vineyard lighthouse, 2024.

Inside the real Cheers bar, Boston, MA, 2024.

ASU and Arizona International Film Festival

Next up is Interpreters Wanted making its way to my favorite neighboring state Arizona. We had the amazing experience of being asked to screen the film at the Arizona State University Pat Tillman Veterans Center to a room full of veterans and students one week after Pats Run which is one of my favorite events of the year, (check out more about what the Tillman Community means to me HERE). Sharing our film at ASU felt like another full circle moment for me, we had a great question and answer with the Veterans in the audience. Many of the Veterans came up to me afterward with tears in their eyes expressing how moved they were by the film, that meant the world. Thanks ASU!

After our ASU screening, Brooke and I drove down to Tucson where we screened Interpreters Wanted at the Arizona International Film Festival. The AIFF was so amazingly welcoming to Brooke and I and we enjoyed our time there. We also won the Best Documentary Film of the festival, which was an amazing thing to happen for our film, our first festival win!

My mom, cousin and family at the 20th Pat's Run, 2024, Tempe, AZ, 2024.

We had a great run! I beat last years time by 10 seconds, Tempe, AZ, 2024.

At the start line, Pat's Run, Tempe AZ, 2024. (We're on the far left)

Thanks to wonderful people at the Pat Tillman Veteran's Center, Tempe, AZ, 2024.

So cool to see our film title on the old school movie theatre in downtown Tuscon, AZ, 2024.

We took home the Best Documentary at the Arizona International Film Festival, 2024.

G.I. Film Festival San Diego

These next two film festivals were probably the highlight of my whole experience, starting with the G.I. Film Festival which is the largest military/veteran film festival in the U.S. Back in 2017 I received an entry to the G.I. Film Festival for my USC (very) student film Frank Comes Home about the great film director Frank Capra and the first movie he made after the war and another short documentary narrated by Max Martini called The Pacific Soldier. Back in 2017 the G.I. Film Festival was in Washington D.C. and since has been moved to San Diego which I think was a great shift for the festival. When I screened my films years ago I had a great experience, but those films were far from what I would have wanted to premiere at that film festival. Fast forward to early 2024 I hear that Interpreters Wanted is an official selection to the G.I. Film Festival and I was elated, this was the perfect festival fit for our film.

An amazing aspect of this festival was I got to bring my whole family, Brooke and each of our kids and Brooke’s parents also came out for the showing. I had a friend and Army combat Veteran, Amber Robinson who I had served with at US Army Pacific for a couple years come out and support the film. Amber herself has a crazy story and she had served with Saifullah and Ismail at the same base as me but a year before, (read HERE for a story she wrote about the film). Amber brought a few of her Afghan interpreter friends that now lived in San Diego and they all enthusiastically loved the film. That was an amazing moment of validation for the film and for what I was trying to say to the Afghan community. Additionally, a few Pat Tillman Foundation Scholars who were good friends and the Veteran TV team also came out in full support!

The only disappointment was, poor Ismail… in an attempt to try to get out to the festival his flight was delayed and he missed the whole thing. My family and I did meet him and got to spend the morning with him at the beach before he flew back out. I was able to tell Ismail the great news that Interpreters Wanted won it’s second festival award, The Founders Choice Award, which was their top award. Overall, I hope to be part of this festival for a very long time. Thank you to everyone that made this festival happen including the great team at KPBS.

Brooke was my biggest supporter through this whole adventure, love having her by my side, San Diego, CA 2024.

The whole fam, love my crew, San Diego, CA 2024.

The Veteran TV team coming out in full force to support and celebrate, San Diego CA 2024.

They asked me to sing, San Diego, CA 2024.

KPBS is a wonderful partner of the festival and helped us have a really insightful conversation about our film, San Diego, CA 2024.

Thanks for his amazing moment G.I. Film Festival and Jodi Cilley, Founder & President of the Film Consortium San Diego, CA 2024.

Hope I made sense, thank you G.I. Film festival! San Diego, CA 2022.

We won the Founder's Choice Award, such an amazing moment for us! San Diego, CA 2024.

Los Angeles Premiere: Dances With Films

Last but certainly not least we got into the amazing Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles! Growing up in Los Angeles I always felt like I was an outsider to Hollywood, always looking through the fence and over the hill. When I first started trying to work in the industry I was an extra, production assistant, I ran film and other deliveries all over town, an intern and pretty much anything I could to break in, but nothing seemed to work. That was all part of my decision to eventually join the Army as a Combat Videographer. Before I joined the military though I was already submitting films to festivals and DWF:LA was one festival in particular I wanted to get into.

Dances With Films has this great tagline “Defiantly Independent” which started when they were sued by Dances With Wolves back in the 90’s over their name and the festival won and was able to keep it. DWF:LA was a festival born out of being on the outside of Hollywood looking in and they haven’t lost that. So when I heard Interpreters Wanted got into this festival, it was an amazing moment; my hometown, a dream festival, and the last festival showing we would have. I will let the pictures speak for themselves, but truly an amazing night at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, let’s go! Thanks to all those who came out for this special screening!

Alright everyone, thank you so much for spending some time reading about the festivals and the unexpected success of our film. We’re now streaming on VeteranTV.com please check it out! Please subscribe to our e-mail list! Another shoutout to all those who’ve supported us through the years on this project and thanks to my family, friends, crew and my beautiful wife Brooke who was there for this whole journey. Onward and see you at the movies!