Atopia Distribution
NEW YORK -- In an example of the sort of irony that would be considered outlandish even in Hollywood, the first soldier killed in the Iraq War, shortly after its beginning in March 2003, was a non-U.S. citizen. Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Antonio Gutierrez, born in Guatemala, was a so-called "green card soldier," one of about 32,000 illegal immigrants whose enlistment guaranteed them citizenship status. His story is told in Heidi Specogna's documentary The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez, which recently received its U.S. theatrical premiere at New York's Anthology Film Archives.
Gutierrez was an apparently troubled young man who grew up in an orphanage in Guatemala City during the time of the country's civil war. After living for several years on the streets, he traveled alone through Mexico and eventually wound up in the U.S., where he entered foster care and managed to complete high school. He enlisted in the service in order to gain legal status and was killed almost immediately, purportedly by friendly fire.
The filmmaker relates this tale in rather sketchy fashion, handicapped as she is by a lack of much documentation other than a few family photographs and letters and the testimony of various loved ones and others who came into contact with him briefly. But there is no denying the emotional resonance inherent in the young soldier's tragic story, which according to the film has already been optioned for a big-screen treatment.
NEW YORK -- In an example of the sort of irony that would be considered outlandish even in Hollywood, the first soldier killed in the Iraq War, shortly after its beginning in March 2003, was a non-U.S. citizen. Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Antonio Gutierrez, born in Guatemala, was a so-called "green card soldier," one of about 32,000 illegal immigrants whose enlistment guaranteed them citizenship status. His story is told in Heidi Specogna's documentary The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez, which recently received its U.S. theatrical premiere at New York's Anthology Film Archives.
Gutierrez was an apparently troubled young man who grew up in an orphanage in Guatemala City during the time of the country's civil war. After living for several years on the streets, he traveled alone through Mexico and eventually wound up in the U.S., where he entered foster care and managed to complete high school. He enlisted in the service in order to gain legal status and was killed almost immediately, purportedly by friendly fire.
The filmmaker relates this tale in rather sketchy fashion, handicapped as she is by a lack of much documentation other than a few family photographs and letters and the testimony of various loved ones and others who came into contact with him briefly. But there is no denying the emotional resonance inherent in the young soldier's tragic story, which according to the film has already been optioned for a big-screen treatment.
- 6/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival, which gets under way Thursday, is returning to smaller-scale indie fare, its programmers have promised. But demand for indie product couldn't be greater, so that approach isn't scaring away any of the distributors who are descending on Park City with cash in hand in search of the next big commercial thing. Festival director Geoff Gilmore wants more small films to find the right distributors for the right marketing niche. He cited films on this year's schedule such as the morality tale Forgiven, "which came out of nowhere"; the Iraq War docu The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez; or the microbudget Steel City. "Fox Searchlight doesn't define what is an independent film," he said. "I've always cared about expanding the market, not catering to it." Applauding such programming diversity as "healthy," William Morris Independent's Cassian Elwes said, "It gives people more choices because Sundance is supposed to be about discovery. There's a lot of new talent coming in as the festival keeps renewing itself."...
- 1/19/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival, which gets under way Thursday, is returning to smaller-scale indie fare, its programmers have promised. But demand for indie product couldn't be greater, so that approach isn't scaring away any of the distributors who are descending on Park City with cash in hand in search of the next big commercial thing. Festival director Geoff Gilmore wants more small films to find the right distributors for the right marketing niche. He cited films on this year's schedule such as the morality tale Forgiven, "which came out of nowhere"; the Iraq War docu The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez; or the microbudget Steel City. "Fox Searchlight doesn't define what is an independent film," he said. "I've always cared about expanding the market, not catering to it." Applauding such programming diversity as "healthy," William Morris Independent's Cassian Elwes said, "It gives people more choices because Sundance is supposed to be about discovery. There's a lot of new talent coming in as the festival keeps renewing itself."...
- 1/19/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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