thedrifter
03-28-09, 07:15 AM
Rademacher gets hero's welcome from native Decatur for film 'Brothers at War'
By SHEILA SMITH - H&R Staff Writer
FORSYTH - Sirens blaring from the Macon County Sheriff's Office vehicles and a military escort only added to the excitement as film producer Jake Rademacher stepped out of a Humvee.
Rademacher was at the Carmike Hickory Point Theater on Friday for the red carpet premier of his documentary film "Brothers at War." The event was sponsored by the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce.
People lined up outside to cheer the producer, a Decatur native.
"Coming back to Decatur has been a dream of mine ¦ And looking over my shoulder is where I got my first investor," Rademacher said.
He said his film allows the American people to really see what's going on in Iraq, and the response has been amazing. "Roger Ebert gave me a 'Thumbs Up,' so it's been successful, and we'll be opening in another 25 cities."
Over the weekend, Rademacher will be in Oceanside, Calif., with actor Jon Voight watching the film with Marines.
He said he will continue traveling across the country, helping promote the film. He also has received some ideas for an upcoming project that involves what's going on in Afghanistan.
Rademacher, a 1993 St. Teresa High School graduate and a 1997 graduate from the University of Notre Dame, ventured into Mosul, Iraq, in 2005 and 2006 to film his two brothers in the service - Capt. Isaac Rademacher and Staff Sgt. Joseph Rademacher - as well as their combat buddies to tell the true-to-form story of what goes on overseas during the war.
Glenda Spinner with Soldiers Angels was at Hickory Point Theater, handing out soldier pins and dog tags.
"We are hitting every theater that this movie is at to help promote it and get the word out about the organization," she said of Soldiers Angels, which sends care packages to active duty soldiers and helps veterans.
With the downward turn in the economy, Spinner said several individuals in Soldiers Angels had to give up adopting soldiers to whom they were sending packages. More than 1,000 soldiers are still on the waiting list to be adopted, she added.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Horsley of the Illinois Army National Guard said it was an honor to escort Rademacher from the airport to the theater.
"It's a great opportunity to know that this movie isn't coming from the aspect of the media or others," he said, although he hadn't had a chance to see it yet. "But it's a soldier making a movie about us soldiers."
sheilas@herald-review.com|421-7963
Ellie
By SHEILA SMITH - H&R Staff Writer
FORSYTH - Sirens blaring from the Macon County Sheriff's Office vehicles and a military escort only added to the excitement as film producer Jake Rademacher stepped out of a Humvee.
Rademacher was at the Carmike Hickory Point Theater on Friday for the red carpet premier of his documentary film "Brothers at War." The event was sponsored by the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce.
People lined up outside to cheer the producer, a Decatur native.
"Coming back to Decatur has been a dream of mine ¦ And looking over my shoulder is where I got my first investor," Rademacher said.
He said his film allows the American people to really see what's going on in Iraq, and the response has been amazing. "Roger Ebert gave me a 'Thumbs Up,' so it's been successful, and we'll be opening in another 25 cities."
Over the weekend, Rademacher will be in Oceanside, Calif., with actor Jon Voight watching the film with Marines.
He said he will continue traveling across the country, helping promote the film. He also has received some ideas for an upcoming project that involves what's going on in Afghanistan.
Rademacher, a 1993 St. Teresa High School graduate and a 1997 graduate from the University of Notre Dame, ventured into Mosul, Iraq, in 2005 and 2006 to film his two brothers in the service - Capt. Isaac Rademacher and Staff Sgt. Joseph Rademacher - as well as their combat buddies to tell the true-to-form story of what goes on overseas during the war.
Glenda Spinner with Soldiers Angels was at Hickory Point Theater, handing out soldier pins and dog tags.
"We are hitting every theater that this movie is at to help promote it and get the word out about the organization," she said of Soldiers Angels, which sends care packages to active duty soldiers and helps veterans.
With the downward turn in the economy, Spinner said several individuals in Soldiers Angels had to give up adopting soldiers to whom they were sending packages. More than 1,000 soldiers are still on the waiting list to be adopted, she added.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Horsley of the Illinois Army National Guard said it was an honor to escort Rademacher from the airport to the theater.
"It's a great opportunity to know that this movie isn't coming from the aspect of the media or others," he said, although he hadn't had a chance to see it yet. "But it's a soldier making a movie about us soldiers."
sheilas@herald-review.com|421-7963
Ellie