My grandpa always said that if something was worth doing, then was worth doing right. That's why I decided to ride my bike across Germany in the middle of the winter to retrace his route as a Prisoner of War during WWII 75 years after he was there. Driving from town to town in the spring to smell the flowers at each stop didn't feel like the right way, but biking long, lonely stretches of frozen rural Germany did.
It all started with a slip of paper. For him, it was a draft card and for me, it was the note that listed all of the camps my grandpa had been marched to during WWII as an American Prisoner of War. It was a story that he never spoke about. Nearly ten years after his death, I found the pieces he left behind, and I couldn't put them down until I knew every detail. The plan was simple: retrace my grandpa's journey as a Prisoner of War through Germany on bicycle in order to meet the side of him that I never met. I guess it sounded a lot more simple when I decided to do it.
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Retrace the journey with us!
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Support the Film
We are a small crew taking on a big project and we are grateful for every bit of support we receive. Our film is a fiscally sponsored project of the International Documentary Association (IDA), 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization. Contributions in support of the film are payable to IDA and are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
To make a tax-deductible donation to the film, please click the link below to access the film's page hosted by the International Documentary Association.
To make a tax-deductible donation to the film, please click the link below to access the film's page hosted by the International Documentary Association.
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We Want to Hear Your Story!As we go on the journey of making this film, we are constantly looking to broaden our understanding of WWII through personal stories of individual experiences in the war. If you have a personal story or a story someone shared with you, we would love to hear it. Perhaps our stories cross paths at some point?
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The Team
Mark Pedri
Director/Writer Mark is a documentary filmmaker and writer from Southwestern Wyoming. His creative process is reminiscent of his equally unique upbringing in Wyoming. Mark’s journey has been guided by the stories he tells, taking him 700 miles through the back roads of his home state on a bike while making a documentary about energy, to Germany and Turkey telling the origin story of Pilates. Between making films, Mark worked at Sundance Institute in the Episodic department where he focused on helping underrepresented artists hone their craft and develop their own personal stories. Mark holds an MFA in Producing for TV and Film from the University of Southern California and splits his time between Los Angeles and Wyoming, where he seeks to tell the stories of the people off the beaten path. |
Carrie McCarthy
Producer/Head Researcher Carrie McCarthy is a scientist turned producer who got her start working as a scientific film consultant before going on to earn a PhD in Materials Chemistry from the University of Southern California. During her time in academia, Carrie was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to fund her research, which has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences worldwide. Under the shingle of Burning Torch Productions, Carrie and Mark co-produce documentaries, feature-length, and episodic content. Carrie is a hands-on producer who believes that being on the ground in the trenches is the only way to ensure the integrity of the project. She is driven by her endless curiosity to hunt down engaging stories with a unique perspective. She has a critical eye for detail in the true-life stories she develops. Carrie is currently based in Los Angeles, but spends a lot of time traveling wherever the project takes her. |
