Community members will gather to view the film, Dear Sirs, and attend a Q&A discussion with the filmmakers moderated by UW VSC Director Marty Martinez.
Dear Sirs is a documentary film directed by Mark Pedri and produced by Carrie McCarthy that honors and remembers the history of those who fought in WWII by retracing the journey of American POW Silvio Pedri. Growing up, filmmaker Mark Pedri never heard Silvio’s story, but ten years after his grandfather’s death, Mark found an archive of old photos and letters that changed the rest of his life. The discovery inspired Mark and his wife Carrie to bike over 500 miles across Europe, piecing together the route that Silvio took in 1944, in an effort to illuminate his grandfather’s experiences and better understand the man who helped raise him.
The film centers around Silver Star recipient Silvio Pedri’s experience as a Prisoner of War. After being captured by the German army in France during the Battle of Metz in WWII, Silvio was then marched and transported by cattle car to a number of camps across Germany during the winter of 1944-45. A trailer for the film can be seen at dearsirsfilm.com.
Dear Sirs is a 93-minute documentary film.
WHEN: Friday November 11, 2022
Doors Open/Reception: 5:30pm
Film Begins: 6:00pm
Discussion: 7:45pm
WHERE: University of Wyoming College of Business Auditorium & Atrium
College of Business Department 3275
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
HOW: This event is free and open to the public! We do ask that you RSVP to Vetserve@uwyo.edu or 307-766-6908
Since the film’s completion in June of 2021, Dear Sirs has screened at festivals such as the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, the Napa Valley Film Festival, and Aesthetica Film Festival in York, England. In addition, the film has been shown in Metz, France at the Annual Commemoration of the city’s liberation, and in Richmond, Virginia for the 95th Infantry Division Association’s annual meeting for WWII veterans who fought in the Battle of Metz with the film’s main character, Sgt Silvio Pedri.
The University of Wyoming Veterans Services Center and Academic Affairs are co-hosting the film screening event as part of the Dear Sirs National Screening Tour which will be adding more events in partnership with other organizations and American Legion posts around the country starting in January 2022. More information about the screening tour can be found at www.dearsirsfilm.com/screenings.
About the filmmakers:
Mark Pedri is an expedition-based documentary filmmaker and writer from Rock Springs, Wyoming. Carrie McCarthy, PhD is a scientist turned producer who got her start working as a scientific film consultant while she worked as a materials chemist researcher at the University of Southern California. Together they run Burning Torch Productions which is an independent film production company that focuses on character-driven stories from the backcountry and backroads of the world. Their films have played at international festivals, on national PBS, and major streaming platforms.
WEBSITE: dearsirsfilm.com
SOCIAL MEDIA: @DearSirsFilm
@dear.sirs.film