Entries sought for veteran-themed film festival

HAYDEN — The organizers of Idaho’s first military-themed film festival are requesting film submissions from the general public.

The North Idaho Veteran’s Film Celebration, taking place at Hayden Discount Cinemas the week of Veterans Day, aims to celebrate military veterans’ experiences through the medium of film.

Inspired by the G.I. Film Festival in Arlington, Va., the festival is the brainchild of Andrew Enriquez, a staff sergeant in the Idaho Army National Guard. Enriquez, an amateur filmmaker, screened his short film "It Happened on Exposition Blvd." at the G.I. Film Festival in 2015, and the experience left an impression.

"It was mind-blowing," said Enriquez. “I was on the red carpet behind the late R. Lee Ermey, the drill instructor from 'Full Metal Jacket,' who was receiving a lifetime achievement award. But what really came through to me was the reverence, and fascination that people have for service members’ experiences. We love to see their experiences represented on-screen.”

Flash forward to the Hayden Veterans Commission Memorial Day 2018 ceremonies, where Enriquez was photographing.

“I thought to myself, ‘We have such a broad and rich population of veterans here in North Idaho, from World War II and the Chosin Few to the War on Terror. We should have a festival to celebrate them,’” he said.

Working in the Prairie Shopping Center, Enriquez made the acquaintance of Mike Lehosit, owner of Hayden Discount Cinema.

“I pitched him the idea of hosting a film festival, and he was immediately on board, donating the screening room and very enthusiastic about the idea,” Enriquez said.

Master Sgt. Sean Rash, Enriquez’s supervisor and top enlisted person at the Post Falls-based National Guard unit, said he was also immediately on board.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Rash, a veteran of both active Army and National Guard deployments and published author. "You hang around veterans long enough, and you hear a lot of their war stories. But, it usually doesn’t occur to them to chronicle their experiences. Losing that intangible history would be tragic. And of course, film is a great way to movingly depict their stories.”

Rash works every day beneath a photo of his grandfather in his World War II Army Air Corps uniform.

Enriquez said veterans naturally make good filmmakers, due to their can-do attitude and work ethic.

“On the set of (2014’s) 'Godzilla,' I was struck by the similarities between a major film’s location shooting and military field exercises,” Enriquez said. “You have the hurry-up-and-wait, you have the logistical support, the communications, the departments all responsible for different aspects of the action and a command structure… also, everyone showed up before dawn and is pounding coffee when they have the chance.”

Festival organizers especially want high school students to submit films to the celebration.

“Getting them to interact with this history is a huge part of the raison d’etre for this event,” Rash said. “We haven’t exactly finalized what the prize will be, but we’re absolutely planning on both individual awards and some kind of big award for the high school drama and media production departments.”

Submissions are free and open to anyone who has served in the military or in support of the military, or to anyone submitting a fiction or non-fiction film with military themes or characters.

“We’re interested in everything from a cellphone interview of your grandad talking about Vietnam to you and your buddies dressing up like Rambo and shooting an epic YouTube video in the woods,” Enriquez said. “We want serious works on veteran’s issues and also just wild flights of imagination.”

Submit works at https://filmfreeway.com/NorthIdahoVeterans, email andrewenriquezrecruiter@gmail.com or call 208-830-4943.