"VISIONS OF WARRIORS" MEDIA
"VISIONS OF WARRIORS" FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
LOGLINE
In “Visions of Warriors,” four veterans from the Vietnam War era to the Iraq War participate in the groundbreaking Veteran Photo Recovery Project at the VA Menlo Park and use innovative photography therapy to treat their mental illness.
SYNOPSIS
“Visions of Warriors” enters the minds of four veterans from the Vietnam War era to the Iraq War who are battling against mental illness—Mark Pinto, Homerina "Marina" Bond, Ari Sonnenberg, and Priscilla "Peni" Bethel. They participate in the groundbreaking Veteran Photo Recovery Project at the VA Menlo Park and use innovative photography therapy to treat their moral injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, and other mental illnesses. The documentary also profiles the Veteran Photo Recovery Project team—founder and nurse practitioner Susan Quaglietti, art therapist Jeff Stadler, clinical social worker Ryan Gardner, and clinical psychologist Kristen McDonald. With a non-linear narrative structure to mirror the veterans’ shattered lives, the film alternates between the veterans and the mental health providers. It also introduces other dynamic veterans who participated in the program. The overall narrative arc of the film extends from the veterans’ diverse backgrounds to their challenging military service to their debilitating mental illness to their intensive treatment. Because the veterans use photography therapy to treat their mental illness, the cinematography is inspired by iconic photo essays in Life Magazine and National Geographic that intimately capture people's lives. Ultimately, "Visions of Warriors" is a universal story about the strength of the human spirit.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE VETERAN PHOTO RECOVERY PROJECT.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
"After learning about Susan Quaglietti and the Veteran Photo Recovery Project, we were inspired to create a feature documentary about her compassionate work. We were deeply moved by the veterans’ powerful stories. As war and conflicts continue, many veterans are coming back and suffering from mental illness. Shockingly, 22 veterans commit suicide every day. To make matters worse, the VA system has been involved in a growing scandal, from a huge backlog to wait time cover-ups to even patient deaths. Hopefully, by sharing the veterans' incredible stories of heroism and survival, our film raises awareness about the rise of veteran mental illness and the power of innovative photography therapy to treat it. We're deeply honored to be able to document the extraordinary lives of the veterans and their mental health providers."—Ming Lai, Producer / Writer / Director
GRATITUDE
Our deepest gratitude to all of our grantors, sponsors, donors, and supporters.
Fiscal Sponsor
International Documentary Association
Grantors
Stanford Medicine & the Muse Program in the Medical Humanities
Corporate Sponsors
Artisan & Artist
Evike
Freestyle Photographic Supplies
Donors
ADG Realty Invitational Bowling League, Julie Akahori, Angelina Cheng, Ernest Cheng, Elaine Chien & Family, Kevin Conway, Tamara & Gary Fine, Vic Froelicher & Family, Brian & Soo Fujishige & Family, Aaron & Anita Hamachi, William Herbert, David & Kathy Ikeda, Glenn & Harumi Kawaguchi & Family, Elena Klaw, Patrick Lew & Family, Spencer & Vivian Liang & Family, Nate Lipp, Laraine Matsuyama, Glenn Omatsu, Sylvia Sahagian, Marc Salazar, Mike Stivers & Family, Symantec Corporation (for Spencer Liang), Kan Taniguchi & Family, Tuan Tran & Family, Gary & Lois Tsunoda, Tianna Umann, Vince Wong & Michelle Chun, Nobu & Ayako Yuki & Family
FILMMAKERS
Ming Lai, Producer / Writer / Editor / Director IMDB
Ming Lai is a filmmaker and photographer and Founder/CEO of Humanist Films, a film and photography production company based in Los Angeles. His narrative and documentary films explore the human condition, addressing subjects like war, illegal immigration, art education, and mental illness. His photography similarly tries to capture the human spirit, from breathtaking architecture to haunting internment camps. In his commercial work, he’s created commercials and corporate videos for many international clients, including Coldwell Banker, Epson, Fujitsu, Marukome, and Yakult. With all of his projects, he strives to create enduring works of art that benefit humanity.
Matt Steinauer, Producer / Editor IMDB
Matt Steinauer is a veteran cinematographer and editor in the entertainment field. Having shot and edited many features, commercials, and music videos for over a decade has afforded Matt the opportunity to meet and work with colleagues from around the world. Matt was recently nominated for an “Annie” award for his editing work in TV. With a desire to contribute to the shared “conversation” of humanity through his skills and diligence, Matt looks forward to working on projects that make a difference.
Dilip Isaac, Director of Photography IMDB
Dilip Isaac has been behind the camera for nearly a decade. Starting in grip and lighting, where he formed his own rental business, he learned how to manipulate light both from ambient bounce and actual sources. Dilip has taken his years of experience from gaffing and gripping as well as composition techniques to create new images that look both natural and cinematic. Having worked with many talented people along the way, he is always creating a fusion that is a combined style of the best while adding his own flare.
Trevor Crist, Director of Photography IMDB
Trevor Crist is a Los Angeles based cinematographer, gaffer, and camera operator. Born in New Mexico, he studied at the College of Santa Fe and moved to LA in 2004. Trevor has spent most of the past decade lighting commercial and feature film projects that have gone on to critical acclaim in festivals such as SXSW, Los Angeles Film Festival, and the Independent Spirit Awards. “Visions of Warriors” marks one of his first ventures into the documentary format. Trevor is very proud to be a part of a project with such an important message.
Sven Faulconer, Composer IMDB
Sven Faulconer, born and raised in Belgium, is a Los Angeles-based composer for film and television. He employs a wide and unique range of music styles, as reflected in the remarkable list of credits acquired by him over the years. In particular, a keen sense for collaboration and strong story-telling skills have earned him music credits on blockbuster movies as The Hunger Games series, Nightcrawler, The Bourne Legacy, The Green Hornet, and Parkland. His original approach in independent productions has resulted in numerous scores with a very distinctive character.
Jeff Hutchins, Sound Supervisor IMDB
Jeff Hutchins is a hands-on Sound Supervisor with 27 years of experience doing sound work for motion pictures and television. Field recording is a passion and brings a flow of unique sounds into every project. Spanning the globe on a quest to record interesting sounds, his high definition recordings really propel a freshness into each project. Jeff's studios include a design suite and a high definition foley stage. As a result, he has won five Emmys and seven Golden Reel awards for excellence in the sound industry.
Bruce Greenspan, Dialogue Editor / Music Editor / Sound Effects Editor / Re-Recording Mixer IMDB
Bruce Greenspan has been working in LA since 1993. As an audio engineer who specializes in post sound for film and TV, he does what’s necessary to propel a story to best serve the narrative and realize the creator’s vision. For the last 20 years, Bruce has been a “one-man editor, designer, and mixer” for Planet Grande Pictures, Painless Productions, and many independent producers, delivering TV series from animation (CrashBox, Snowden’s Christmas) to reality adventure (Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans, The Dead Files, Freshman Year, Two Hour Tour) to documentaries and specials (Moonshine Madness, Bad Boys of Summer, Breaking the News, It Conquered Hollywood), and much more. With hundreds of broadcast hours and dozens of features of experience, Bruce has had the opportunity to work with some of Hollywood’s finest and is thrilled to work with Ming on such an important film.
Stacy Hruby, Location Sound Mixer IMDB
Micah Mucklow, Location Sound Mixer IMDB
Micah Mucklow is a sound engineer and owner of Secret Menu Productions, LLC. Micah has recorded audio for numerous indie films and documentaries over the past five years. With a degree in visual anthropology, Micah began his post-college career as an educator in the Oakland Unified public school system but soon turn back toward documentary filmmaking and the film/tv broadcast industry within the Bay Area. Micah currently works as a freelance sound mixer and A2 for Secret Menu Productions, Pac-12 Networks, and the local IATSE 119 sports broadcast union.
"VISIONS OF WARRIORS" UPCOMING SCREENINGS
PSYCHIATRIC REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION’S 40TH ANNUAL WELLNESS AND RECOVERY SUMMIT
Atlanta, Georgia
TED-Like Talk by Susan Quaglietti and Ryan Gardner:
Sunday, 6/25/17, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta
265 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
To learn more:
http://www.psychrehabassociation.org/content/using-photography-advance-recovery-journey
Screening and Q&A with Susan Quaglietti, Ryan Gardner, & Ming Lai:
Sunday, 6/25/17, 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta
265 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
To learn more:
http://www.psychrehabassociation.org/content/movie-night-“visions-warriors”
To register for the conference and attend the TED-Like Talk and screening:
http://www.psychrehabassociation.org/40th-annual-wellness-and-recovery-summit-registration-information
OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Oakland, California
Screening and Q&A with Susan Quaglietti, Ryan Gardner, & Ming Lai:
Wednesday, 4/5/17, 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
VENUE CORRECTION:
Holy Names University / Valley Center for the Performing Arts
3500 Mountain Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619
To learn more:
http://www.oiff.org
https://www.hnu.edu/about/campus/valley-center-performing-arts
For tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oiff-15-early-bird-visions-of-warriors-tickets-32075141612
VAIL FILM FESTIVAL
Vail, Colorado
"One of the Top 10 Destination Film Festivals in the World" by MovieMaker Magazine
Screening and Q&A with Susan Quaglietti, Ryan Gardner, & Ming Lai:
Friday, 3/31/17, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
CineBistro 2 at Solaris
141 E. Meadow Dr., #104, Vail, CO 81657
970-476-3344
Theater Info:
https://cinebistro.com/solaris/index.php
Screening and Q&A with Susan Quaglietti, Ryan Gardner, & Ming Lai:
Saturday, 4/1/17, 8:15 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.
CineBistro 1 at Solaris
141 E. Meadow Dr., #104, Vail, CO 81657
970-476-3344
Theater Info:
https://cinebistro.com/solaris/index.php
To learn more:
http://www.vailfilmfestival.com/documentaries-1/
https://vailfilmfestival2017.sched.com
For tickets:
http://www.vailfilmfestival.com/2017-tickets
"VISIONS OF WARRIORS" PHOTO EXHIBIT
As part of this feature documentary project, we created a photo exhibit of the veterans who participated in the Veteran Photo Recovery Project. Inspired by iconic still portraits, we shot black-and-white motion portraits, from which we took stills. With these powerful images, we try to capture their indelible spirit. This is a preview of the exhibit. For exhibit inquiries, please contact us: shoot[at]humanistfilms[dot]com
DONATE TO "VISIONS OF WARRIORS"
Make a donation to our "Visions of Warriors" feature documentary project and help raise awareness about the rise of veteran mental illness and the power of innovative photography therapy to treat it. Donate any amount, and receive a 100% tax deduction. Donate via our fiscal sponsor, the respected International Documentary Association.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
If you can’t help fund our documentary project, you can still support it in many other ways. Help us get the word out about our film, using your favorite social media.
http://www.visionsofwarriors.com
https://www.facebook.com/visionsofwarriors
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