Tag Archives: documentary

Documentary offering intimate look at veterans’ return to Vietnam to air on WKTV in honor of 49 year anniversary

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(Courtesy photo)



By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


(Courtesy, Wreaths Across America)

In November 2023, ten Vietnam veterans embarked on a journey they never thought possible. Returning to Vietnam, the veterans explored locations and memories that have held deep significance for each of them for the last 49 years.

Mission Veteran Expedition, a collaborative venture between CDLLife, FASTPORT, and nonprofits Waypoint Vets and Wreaths Across America, made this journey possible. Together, they released a documentary of the trip, “Mission Veteran Expedition: Honoring Vietnam Veterans in the Transportation Industry.”

The documentary, captured and produced by U.S. Army veteran Nicholas Mott, owner of Seven Five Media, is available at no cost on Wreaths Across America’s YouTube channel.

Mission Veteran Expedition will also air on WKTV Government Channel Comcast 26 and AT&T U-verse Wyoming & Kentwood Government Channel 99 on Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 1 at 8:15 p.m. and Saturday, May 4 at 12 p.m.

Click here to view a short preview of the documentary.

A profound journey evokes healing

“The documentary offers an intimate and compelling look at the journey of these veterans,” said videographer Nicholas Mott. “Capturing the essence of their experiences and the profound impact of the Mission Veteran Expedition was truly an honor. I hope other Vietnam veterans will watch it and find it healing.”

Quang Tri, Vietnam (Courtesy, Lance Cpl. Francisco Diaz U.S. Navy)

The trip offered ten veterans, each of whom has made a living in the transportation industry, an extraordinary opportunity to revisit Vietnam and reflect on their service there. The documentary explores this impactful journey, which combines travel, camaraderie and history.

Waypoint Vets, a non-profit organization dedicated to uniting and empowering veterans through camaraderie and adventure, led the expedition, ensuring each participant experienced a meaningful and lasting journey.

The itinerary included a variety of experiences, including:

  • Grounds Tour of the Former Saigon Embassy
  • Walking Street Food Tour through Ho Chi Minh City
  • Cu Chi Tunnels & Mekong Delta Luxury Tour
  • War Remnants Museum
  • Halong Bay Cruise
  • Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency Tour
  • A ‘Welcome Home’ ceremony hosted at Sirius XM studios in Hollywood, with interviews on Radio Nemo

Redefining memories

Vietnam War Memorial Dedication Ceremony in Rota, Spain (Courtesy, Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Barton U.S. Navy)

“The Mission Veteran Expedition successfully commemorated these veterans’ valiant contributions while allowing them to experience the beauty of Vietnam’s landscapes and the richness of its culture,” said Sarah Lee, Army combat veteran and founder of Waypoint Vets. “For many veterans, the memories associated with Vietnam are often intertwined with the challenges of war.

“This expedition redefined these associations and replaced them with new, healing memories. By engaging with Vietnam on a deep, personal level, the trip forged lasting connections and helped veterans find solace in the beauty of a nation at peace.”

As commemorative partners of The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, FASTPORT and Wreaths Across America have had the honor of “Welcoming Home” more than 7,500 Vietnam veterans.

“I feel the trip’s culmination was an important piece of closure for the participant’s journey,” said Brad Bentley, President of FASTPORT, who traveled to Vietnam with the group.

“These men returned to the United States to a hero’s welcome, and for millions who never received this show of gratitude for answering the call of duty, it was truly an honor to say, ‘Welcome Home.’”

WKTV 25 to air RECLAIMIMG Their VOICE documentary by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker

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Dorothy Fadiman’s film follows Native American communities as they fight against injustice (Courtesy of Alice Fernandez-Ahmie)

By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org

Fadiman’s film includes several personal stories from diverse backgrounds (Courtesy, Concentric Media)

Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman’s latest documentary has been coined “captivating” and “eyeopening.”

Narrated by Peter Coyote, RECLAIMING Their VOICE: The Native American Vote in New Mexico and Beyond follows Native Americans in New Mexico who are taking a stand against injustice in the political process.

WKTV will air Fadiman’s 42-minute insightful documentary on WKTV 25 Monday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct.11 at 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.

“A moving work of art…”

Fadiman’s film has been described as both “heartbreaking” and “eyeopening” by Nancy Stapp of KVOT, New Mexico. “A ‘must see’ to understand how fragile our democracy is and how important it is that we stay awake and be informed,” said Stapp.

Personal stories demonstrate how minority communities are using their voting rights as they participate more fully in elections. These stories capture the growing awareness and activism taking root across the United States.

Each segment of the film depicts challenges faced by Native communities, actions taken to protect their rights, and outcomes of their efforts.

What viewers can expect

The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 stipulated that Native Americans born in the United States were automatically citizens by birth (Courtesy, Concentric Media)

Along with the historical chronicling of the Native American suffrage movement, the documentary follows the Laguna Pueblo’s groundbreaking project that led to significant positive changes in New Mexico state election law.

RECLAIMING Their VOICE also documents The Pueblo Revolt (1680), Wounded Knee (1890), The Sacred Alliance for Grassroots Equality’s (SAGE) fight to protect the sacred art of the Petroglyph National Monument, the passage of legislation to ensure greater election security for Native Americans, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

Fadiman’s work has been hailed as a model for how other minority populations can work together to gain political justice, and won the Best New Mexico Film Award at the Duke City Doc Festival in 2010.

Narrative justice focus of upcoming GRAM event

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

GR-MiFi and Grand Stand Pictures will be presenting at the Grand Rapids Art Museum Thursday, Dec. 1. (Courtesy, GRAM)

Grand Rapids Media Initiative and Film Incubator (GR-MiFi) together with Grand Stand Pictures is presenting stories about their upcoming documentary film and other projects centered on Narrative Justice Thursday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Art Museum at 101 Monroe Center St. (Breonna Taylor Way)

The group is currently in the process of producing a full-length documentary film based upon the book, “A City Within A City: The Black Freedom Struggle in Grand Rapids, Michigan” by Dr. Todd E. Robinson. The film project has enabled the producers to uplift and engage local BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) content creators by establishing apprenticeships directly related to the film and has blossomed into various creative endeavors. The work of GR-MiFi, Grand Stand Pictures and the “Creators” have attracted the attention of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, who will be showcasing this dynamic group as part of the museum’s Visionnaires Series, which attracts creative young adults into lifelong engagement with the arts.

The evening’s activities

The evening’s program will include a panel discussion with the film’s producers and key Creators.

“Over the last year, this initiative has grown into an ecosystem that is vibrant, diverse, and innovative,” said Shayna Haynes Heard, GR-MiFi project manager/Creator. “Our work uplifting Narrative Justice and equipping local talent with opportunities for growth and development is transformative, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us.”

Following a Mashup Video highlighting the many projects the Creators have initiated and undertaken together, Creators will share their stories and what inspires them as they hone each other’s skills at the Incubator headquarters every week. Also featured will be their community partner projects such as the Black History Cemetery Tours and the South High School Oral History Project and digital history mapping with HistoryPin.org.

The event concludes with some power networking, podcast interviews and photo booth opportunities. This Visionnaire’s event at the GRAM is free and includes a cash bar.

Creating a hub

Building a community-driven creative media hub is a priority focus area for GR-MiFi, where local talent can pool resources and networks, learn the process of producing media, and shore up their demo reels and skills to develop a viable client base. Industry leaders across the spectrum of entertainment businesses and movie making are exploring how to create sustainable incubator programs for marginalized groups. The Grand Rapids Media Initiative and Film Incubator (GR-MiFi) is on the front end of these developments and looks forward to providing ground-breaking strategy, design, programs and efforts in the media and film incubation space.

“We are building a very supportive ecosystem for BIPOC creators and videographers and are helping them to build their capacity to tell their own stories and to grow their skillsets and gain valuable resources and networks. When businesses, organizations and institutions are looking for quality work done in anything art or film related, from perspectives and individuals that may have been set aside before, GRMiFi is the place to come and ideate and let us create something for you,” says GR-MiFi President Rodney Brown.

Documentary showcases West Michigan university’s efforts to stay open during pandemic

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The documentary “A New Normal” takes a look at how Ferris State University kept classes going through the pandemic. (Supplied)

WKTV Staff
kelly@wktv.org

As the world grapples with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, Ferris State University stakeholders quickly collaborated to create a plan to keep campus safe and in operation after the state-wide stay at home order.

Nick Kuiper

The new documentary film from regional Emmy® Award winning filmmaker Nick Kuiper, “A New Normal,” features nearly 50 interviews with students, faculty, staff, and administrators as they share their experience during the pandemic. The film captures the stress of learning during a pandemic, the collaboration necessary to keep campus running, the creative problem solving necessary to keep stakeholders safe, and the challenges involved with quickly shifting classes online. A New Normal offers a roadmap of how one university utilized feedback from all their members to safely stay open.

One such story focuses on the Ferris Plastics program’s collaboration with Operation Face Shield. While campus shifted to online education, staff and faculty in the plastics program helped develop a mold for mass production of face shields and eventually creating over 40,000 face shields that were sent out across the globe.

Imagine being an excited student ready to embark on your first study abroad trip to Peru, when suddenly, in the middle of your excursion, the Peruvian government initiates a mandatory lockdown. A New Normal showcases the quick thinking of Ferris faculty as they rush to evacuate their students before being stuck in the country indefinitely.

 

Also hear from students and faculty in Biotechnology, as they quickly implement revolutionary wastewater testing technology to narrow in on COVID-19 clusters and stop outbreaks before it can spread around campus.

“A New Normal” will air on WKTV Channel 25 Oct. 13 at 2:30 p.m. and again on Oct. 14 at 10 :30 p.m. and Oct. 15 at noon.

 

Documentary on Wyoming ‘sewing circle’ featured on WKTV

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Caregivers Sewing Group which use to meet at the Wyoming Gall Sewing and Vac Center. (Supplied)

By Kelly Taylor
WKTV Program Director

The concept of a sewing circle, a group of people, most often women, gathering together to sew as a group goes back centuries to the colonial period of this country. Mennonite women’s sewing circles began in the late nineteenth century growing out of their desire to support mission work. Native American women had sewing guilds that “promoted autonomy through control of the means of production in the tribe. Only selected women were taught the sewing crafts and religious symbols, thus ensuring tribal and economic status for the woman and her family” according to K.D. Schmidt in “Moneneheo and Naheverien Cheyenne and Mennonite Sewing Circles: Convergences and Conflicts.

Sewing circles still exist today, some within local chapters of the American Sewing Guild, some established through houses of worship while others have been birthed at local sewing centers such as the Caregivers Sewing Group which was established in the former Gall Sewing and Vac Center in Wyoming.

For more than ten years, every Friday these elderly women gathered at the Gall Sewing to sew hundreds of clothes each year and donate them to DA Blodgett-St.John’s for children in foster care. The sewing center, kind enough to donate the space for the women, has since moved to 3150 Plainfield Avenue NE. Some members of the group remain from its inception while others have recently joined. Members come and go, but the group remains and the donated fabric never disappears in spite of all their hard work.

 

The Caregivers first appeared in a documentary released by Thought Provoking Films (TPF Productions, LLC) and produced by Salvatore Alaimo in 2017 entitled What is Philanthropy? that is available through Indiana University Press. Alaimo, an Associate Professor in the School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration at Grand Valley State University, was so interested in the group’s story, he decided to produce a short 25-minute documentary about them called Sew What?

 

“I remember when we shot the footage of the ladies for my first documentary, my crew and I thoroughly enjoyed their company, and we had a lot of laughs,” Alaimo said. “They left such an impression on me I decided that their story needed to be told. It’s a story about their use of their special skills, their friendship and their compassion.”

 

Sew What? was produced and directed by Alaimo and features original music by Jason Mraz and Peter Kaukonen. It made its Grand Rapids premiere at the Koning Micro Cinema inside Wealthy Theatre to a sold out crowd on September 19, 2019. In 2020, the film was an official selection of the VOB Film Festival in Carmel, New York; the Knoxville Film Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee; the Gallup Film Festival in Gallup, New Mexico; the Canadian & International Short Film Festival; and the Los Angeles Short Film Festival. A special virtual screening of the film was held on November 10, 2020 to 25 members of the Grand Rapids chapter of the American Sewing Guild. Sew What? was also recently broadcast on WGVU three times in late 2020 and early 2021. 

The film’s WKTV premiere is set for May 11 at 7 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. May 13 and 9:30 a.m. May 14 on WKTV Channel 25.

WKTV premieres Chickasaw documentary

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WKTV will air “First Encounter” on Thursday, April 29, at 5 p.m. on WKTV Channel 25. (Supplied)

By Dana Lance
Chickasaw Films

The Chickasaw Nation Productions’ documentary “First Encounter” from the Chickasaw Heritage Series will air at 5 p.m., Thursday, April 29 in Wyoming, Michigan, on WKTV Community Access Channel 25 and online at WKTV.org.

The Chickasaw Heritage Series is a video project initiative from Chickasaw Nation Productions designed to inform, educate and entertain audiences about the resilient and persevering spirit of the Chickasaw Nation.

For more information, please visit ChickasawFilms.com.

 “First Encounter”

“First Encounter” explores the actions taken by Chickasaws in 1541 during their first contact with Europeans. The documentary highlights the encounters, struggles and perseverance of the Chickasaw people throughout the attempted conquest by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto.

This encounter helped establish the reputation for which the tribe would be recognized for centuries and remains today – “unconquered and unconquerable.”

Chickasaw curriculum

Both Chickasaw Heritage Series “First Encounter” and “Bearer of the Morning” documentaries have been incorporated into an online curriculum produced by the Chickasaw Nation for elementary and secondary school levels. These and other lessons are available to homeschool and public school educators by visiting Chickasaw.net/AtHome.

These lessons might also interest anyone looking to dig deeper into the history and culture of the Chickasaw people, with reference materials and photographs presented much like a textbook.

Every lesson of the Chickasaw Nation curriculum is aligned with Oklahoma Academic Standards as outlined by the Oklahoma State Department of Education social studies guide.

Areas of study include history, social studies, geography and government. Students who dive into these studies will develop skills including reading, writing, critical thinking, test taking and artistic creation.

Each lesson is complete with its own lesson plan, reading material, discussion questions, student activity and reference list for convenience. This material can be easily incorporated into any educational setting.

Documentary follows resident’s journey of walking the Lake Michigan coastline

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Micah Rynders and Jacob Penning met up during Penning’s walk along the coast of Lake Michigan. (From The Middle Coast)

By Anna Johns

WKTV Intern

The Lake Michigan coastline is one of Michigan’s most treasured places. Every year visitors walk a portion of its shore and take in the beautiful sites. But how many can say they have hiked the 473 miles from the Indiana border to Mackinaw City?

West Michigan native and Grand Rapids Christian graduate Jacob Penning can make that claim. With friend and former WKTV intern Micah Rynders, he produced the documentary “The Middle Coast” to share his story. That documentary, “The Middle Coast,” premieres Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. on WKTV Channel 25 with re-air dates Sept. 9 at 1 a.m. and Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. 

The West Michigan coastline. (From The Middle Coast)

On July 9, 2018, Penning started at the Indiana border and headed north on his hike which spanned four weeks. With no trail, he embarked on a solo hike along the Michigan lakeshore documenting every step of the way. The hike was rough and Penning needed to rely on the help of Michigan residents to complete his journey.

“In the summer of 2017, I hiked the Colorado trail, an 484-mile walk across the width of the state,” Penning wrote in an email to WKTV. He is currently traveling through Montana. “Looking at a map of the coast of Michigan, and measuring the distance from the boarder of Indiana to the bridge, I found it was almost exactly the same distance as my hike in Colorado. Having already walked that far before, and seeing how follow-able the coast was with constant access to water and many cities to resupply food, I knew that it could be done.”

Coming up to Big Red in Holland. (From The Middle Coast)

During his journey, he spent his nights resting at campsites and friends’ homes. Along the way, there was no shortage of familiar faces from catching his old teacher at the beach to finding his former neighbors at a campground.

“There was not an ugly place along the entire coastline,” Penning wrote. “Every part of the coast is uniquely beautiful.”

Penning made sure to take his time hiking the coast so he could stop at some of the state parks and cities along the way. From taking a jeep ride over the Silver Lake Sand Dunes to exploring Traverse City, he had his fair share of adventures.

“Muskegon State Park surprised me with its beautiful dunes and forests,” he said. “Crossing most every river channel was done by hitchhiking boats to get a ride across, this happened without fail every time that I needed it, usually from the first boat that passed by.”

The challenge was the actual hike, Penning said. Hiking 20-plus miles day after day is taxing on the mind and body and requires perseverance and determination when the end seems so far away, he said.

“I don’t think he ever actually felt negatively about the journey, nor do I think he ever really felt alone,” Rynders said. “I think he looks back on the whole journey with awe and excitement so much more than he thinks anything negative about any of it.”



The entire production was filmed predominately on a GoPro with close up shots done on a Sony mirror-less camera, as well as drone footage shot by Rynders. When all was done, they had hours of footage. The goal was to submit the film to the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the world’s largest mountain film festival, and to do that they needed to cut the footage down to 20 minutes. This took an excessive amount of time, however, in the end they believe the finished product exceeded their expectations, Rynders said. They will know in October if the film made it as a finalist.


In a few weeks, Penning said he will be moving to Ethiopia to produce music and spread the gospel in the capital of Addis Ababa for the next year. Penning and Rynders also are “dreaming” about their next project, so “more adventures are on the horizon,” according to Penning.

The end of the line: Jacob Penning touches the Mackinac Bridge to signal the end of his 473-mile journey along Lake Michigan’s coastline. (From The Middle Coast)

Documentary ‘Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry’ at UICA, Nov. 8

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Food, Non-Profits, Upcoming Events, , , , ,

By UICA and Access of West Michigan

 

Look & See revolves around the divergent stories of several residents of Henry County, Kentucky who each face difficult choices that will dramatically reshape their relationship with the land and their community.

 

In 1965, Wendell Berry returned home to Henry County, where he bought a small farm house and began a life of farming, writing and teaching. This lifelong relationship with the land and community would come to form the core of his prolific writings. A half-century later, Henry County, like many rural communities across America, has become a place of quiet ideological struggle.

 

In the span of a generation, the agrarian virtues of simplicity, land stewardship, sustainable farming, local economies and rootedness to place have been replaced by a capital-intensive model of industrial agriculture characterized by machine labor, chemical fertilizers, soil erosion and debt — all of which have frayed the fabric of rural communities. Writing from a long wooden desk beneath a forty-paned window, Berry has watched this struggle unfold, becoming one of its most passionate and eloquent voices in defense of agrarian life.

 

Filmed across four seasons in the farming cycle, Look & See blends observational scenes of farming life, interviews with farmers and community members with evocative, carefully framed shots of the surrounding landscape. Thus, in the spirit of Berry’s agrarian philosophy, Henry County itself will emerge as a character in the film — a place and a landscape that is deeply interdependent with the people that inhabit it.

Directed By: Laura Dunn | Jef Sewel
Genre: Documentary
Run Time: 82 min
MPAA Rating: NA
Origin: USA
A film showing and panel in partnership with Plainsong Farm, Local First, and the UICA, this documentary delves into the life of Wendell Berry as well as the interdependence of land and community.

*A short panel discussion will follow the film

  • Nov. 8 at 7 pm at UICA
  • UICA Members: $4
  • Public: $8

Get tickets here.

 

Co-sponsored by Plainsong Farm, Access of West Michigan,  Urban Roots, and Local First”

 

From UICA.org