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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – An Oregon-made film will be shown this month at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas, while supporting veterans organizations across the country. Explore some of the experiences of veterans.
“My Dead Friend Zoe” is a dark film that tells the story of a female Afghanistan veteran and her relationship with her late Army best friend and estranged Vietnam veteran grandfather. It’s a comedy.
The film stars Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales, and also stars Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Gloria Ruben.
“This is a movie about friendship, family, loss, humor and heart, and it’s based on many experiences during and after the military with PTSD, as well as the experiences of veterans in general.” said Kyle Houseman, writer and director of Friend Zoe. Stokes told Nexstar’s KOIN.
Huisman-Stokes, who enlisted a month before 9/11, served five years in the U.S. Army and received the Bronze Star in Iraq.
As a veteran, he champions mental health, gun safety, and efforts to support fellow veterans, and co-founds Veterans in Media & Entertainment, a nonprofit that connects current and former military members with jobs in the entertainment industry. Established.
He is currently making his feature film debut with My Dead Friend Zoe, which the three-time Super Bowl winner serves as executive producer.
“I hope that people take a deeper or more nuanced look at veterans from this film. In film and television, we have seen so many extreme images of these larger-than-life heroes who literally go into battle and war. At the other end of the spectrum, we are wounded veterans with some kind of anger or alcohol or drug addiction, and most of us are We don’t really draw all the middle parts,” Hausman-Stokes said. .
“I’m looking forward to the people in this film seeing the veterans and seeing us as people and the great assets we are to our society and our country,” he continued.
My Dead Friend Zoe was originally scheduled to be filmed in Huisman-Stokes’ hometown of the Midwest, but at the last minute it was decided to shoot in Oregon.
“We both unanimously said it was a great experience.” [to film in Oregon,]” said Paul Scanlan, co-founder and CEO of Legion M, one of the film’s production companies.
The film will be shot in the summer of 2023 around Portland, Forest Grove, and Molalla, prompting Huisman-Stokes and Scanlan to film future projects in Oregon and benefiting from the state’s “outstanding” film tax incentives. He praised the measures and friendly attitude towards independent film production.
“I’ve been in many commercials and several TV shows and traveled all over the world, but Portland has always been one of my favorite places and one of the hospitable places.” Houseman Stokes said.
The filmmakers enjoyed Oregon’s diverse filming locations, from an industrial area in Portland to a rodeo in Molalla, where they found a sense of community both on and off set. discovered military connections.
Scanlan said one of his favorite memories from filming the movie was that the Molalla rodeo director (like Huisman-Stokes, an Army veteran) allowed the rodeo to be filmed as long as the community celebrated the director’s accomplishments. I remembered that time.
“The only way he would let me film there is if I agreed to win a prestigious award at this rodeo, which would involve putting me in the back of a pickup truck, watching fireworks and music. It involved running out into the middle of the rodeo with a song playing, and I was like, “Just me being behind the cameraman, and there were a bunch of people cheering, and it was pretty surreal.” said Houseman Stokes.
The film depicted scenes in Molalla Park where community members gather for a craft fair featuring local artisans during Independence Day celebrations.
“We all heard that this was a movie about veterans, but it was so special to see people like that go out of their way to support us,” said Houseman. = Coach Stokes said.
This support also highlights veterans organizations across the country, including the film’s impact partners The Mission Continues, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, and EveryTown for Gun Safety: Support Fund.
The filmmakers also partnered with Radiant Media Studios, which provided additional funding through green energy tax credits, making it the first film to receive tax-incentive funding, Variety reported. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce also joined the project as an executive producer.
Kelsea, whose high-profile romance with Taylor Swift has sparked a frenzy, hinted at plans to step into entertainment after appearing on Saturday Night Live last year.
“My Dead Friend Zoe” will premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 9th.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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