We are incredibly excited to report that we will be adding some new trophies to the growing collection of Comedy Warriors accolades! As per our last post, Comedy Warriors has been hitting the festival circuit this fall, kicking off with two film festivals last week!
First up was the Gold Coast International Film Festival in Long Island, where we packed the Bow Tie Great Neck Theater for a showing of the film. The screening, which was followed by a Q&A with director/producer John Wager, co-producer Bernadette Luckett and our Comedy Warriors Joe Kashnow and Bobby Henline, garnered howls of laughter from an appreciative audience. To top off a wonderful evening, the film was awarded the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Connecting with our audience is what we most hope to accomplish, and we are delighted to have been honored with this award.
Hot on the tails of GCIFF, we screened twice at the inaugural Middleburg Film Festival in Virginia, where esteemed attendees of the Comedy Warriors screenings included film composer George Clinton, The Hangover Producer Scott Budnick and Assistant Secretary of the US Navy Juan Garcia.
Out of all of the excitement, though, one moment in particular touched us the most, and was indeed a perfect embodiment of the true purpose of our film. One member of the audience stood up during the Q&A session, and explained how her son had lost his leg in a violent explosion in the Middle East. She shared with the audience her tale of utter heartbreak, anger and distress, and explained that she was initially unsure of whether or not she would make the journey to see Comedy Warriors, with her own wounds being so fresh. Through tears, she expressed that seeing the journey of the five vets in the film and how they had been helped to accept and overcome both their physical and emotional traumas, had given her a new perspective on her son’s injuries. Moved by her story, a member of the audience got up and embraced the lady, offering comfort. The whole room felt the profound and powerful effect of this personal sharing.
Hearing and witnessing the ways in which our film helps, touches and inspires people is incredibly important to us, and is the very reason we embarked upon this project to begin with. We were informed yesterday that Comedy Warriors has also been selected by the Middleburg Film Festival, to take home the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. We couldn’t be happier, or again more grateful to those who came out to watch the film.
On a final note, we would like to acknowledge and profusely thank the Wounded Warrior Project for all of their continued support throughout the entire Comedy Warriors journey. We have more exciting news on the horizon, so keep checking in here to be the first to find out about more upcoming announcements.
