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GI Film Festival San Diego Opens With Healing Documentary

Children of men killed on both sides in the Vietnam War meet in the documentary "The 2 Sides Project." The film opens the GI Film Festival San Diego on Oct. 18.
GI Film Fest San Diego
Children of men killed on both sides in the Vietnam War meet in the documentary "The 2 Sides Project." The film opens the GI Film Festival San Diego on Oct. 18.

'The 2 Sides Project' Looks To Unexpected Shared History

GI Film Festival San Diego Opens With Healing Documentary
GI Film Festival San Diego Opens With Healing Documentary GUESTS: Margot Carlson Delogne, founder, "The 2 Sides Project" Beth Accomando, arts reporter, KPBS News

I was listening here during the break and we were reporting on the GI Film Festival. That is a really important program here for us.'s a great way to respect that and give acknowledgment to the retired community in the military and their families that are here. We try to find ways to connect with them. The film festival is a great way to do that. It kicks off tonight. Yes, does. I also get a chance to work with strong professional people in the department. These are really smart intelligent executives that also interface with these businesses and people that want to support us. That GI Film Festival, Meyer and Steve are going to be there tonight. So if you have nothing going on. I hope you will go there and join us. We spent time during pledge talking about the importance of members compared to the rest of the revenue streams that we get from other sources. Do you want to talk about that a little bit ago how important our members? They are the basic family that we do. The buds word right now his engagement. Nobody engages an audience better than what we do. The audience is listening to what's going on. They come at a cost. I've been late to work because I cannot get out of my car. Sometimes I have to call them parking garage or parking structure moments. So members and the audience that we have is vital. That is what we treat so respectfully and people here work hard to make sure that the product that's been put out meets the needs of the audience. We get the information back to us by the readings that show that KPBS has a really broad impact in the community. We ask you to contribute we are asking you to build the community and become a network and be involved with us and just -- we are going to the film festival tonight. They can be in several different places in the community. You are supporting more than just the news. Your supporting different branches of KPBS. A lot of them help the community in some way. We are out in the community all the time. There's nobody that is out more than our general manager. He's never home at night. We are doing really well. Really have -- we made our goal

GI Film Festival San Diego Opens With Healing Documentary
The GI Film Festival San Diego kicks off Wednesday at the Museum of Photographic Arts. The opening night film is "The 2 Sides Project," a documentary about healing the wounds of war.

The GI Film Festival San Diego kicks off Wednesday at the Museum of Photographic Arts. The opening night film is "The 2 Sides Project," a documentary about healing the wounds of war.

The 2017 GI Film Festival San Diego features 33 films including two world premieres, and eight West Coast premieres.

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The opening night screening of "The 2 Sides Project" is a West Coast premiere. It's a post-Vietnam War documentary that follows the unforgettable journey of six U.S. sons and daughters as they discover a country and a people with whom they share a common history.

The project started with Margot Carlson Delogne. Her father was listed as killed in action in Vietnam but his body was never found. Delogne began to reconsider her feelings toward Vietnam. She had always thought of the country where her father died as "evil," but then she started to think about the bombs her father dropped and the children in Vietnam who also lost their fathers in the war. This led Carlson Delogne to suggest the film project to director Anthony Istrico and to start a foundation dedicated to bringing these two sides together.

Istrico and five of the six film subjects will attend the opening night screening, and there will be a post-film discussion.

The documentary reflects the diverse array of films the GI Film Festival San Diego will be showcasing. Themes range from women in the military to transitioning from active duty to veteran status to the LGBTQ+ community. Plus, films cover wars spanning from World War II to present day conflicts.

Screenings will be presented in themed film blocks with tickets available at the GI Film Festival San Diego website with special discounted opportunities for active duty personnel and veterans.

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The GI Film Festival San Diego continues through Oct 22 at multiple venues including the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park, Regal Carlsbad 12, USS Midway Museum and AMC Mission Valley 20.