A film about local soldiers, by a local film production company, will be shown for the first time Thursday night. Together with WQPT-tv, Fourth Wall Films from Moline, will premiere "Letters Home from Hero Street," based on letters between Frank Sandoval from Silvis and his family during World War Two.
Director Kelly Rundle says people in the Quad Cities think of this as a local story, about young Hispanic men from a Silvis neighborhood, who fought in several wars. But it's also "American history."
Rundle says it's about one young soldier's experiences, but it's also about a new group of immigrants in America.
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And his answer is that he does.
Following the premiere tonight at 6 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Silvis, the film will be shown on television for the first time Friday night on WQPT. Then Rundle will begin contacting other pbs stations about showing "Letters Home From Hero Street."
Frank Sandoval was drafted and joined the Army in 1942, and died in combat two years later in Burma.
The project was made possible by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
Here's the trailer.