Gone Elvis

A short film by David Newhoff.

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Reboot Camp (A July 4th Declaration)

Posted by David Newhoff on July 4, 2013
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: david avallone, gone elvis, lonnie hodge, Navy, reboot, veteran. 6 Comments

As I write this, I have just left my eldest son at Naval Station Great Lakes, where he will resume training after graduating from boot camp.  A reservist for now, he intends to go to college and then transition to active Navy as an officer.  Of course I’m proud of him and of the reasons he’s chosen this career path; but that doesn’t mean I’m about to offer up a generic sermon on service and patriotism. Most importantly, I’m not about to wear my son’s or his shipmates’ service on my sleeves.  There are many reasons people join the military, some fully conscious, others naive and bordering on desperation, and the biography of the recruit who enters is part of the story of the veteran who comes out the other side no matter what kind of service experience he or she has.

In the short film gone ELVIS, the expression “Thank you for your service” is turned on its head and revealed to be a phrase that can counter-intuitively act as a wedge between the civilian world and the military.  Many veterans who have seen the film have commented that this device in the story resonates with them. Even over this past weekend, as I watched strangers approach my son and thank him, I could tell that it was both appreciated and awkward.  I’m sure he was thinking that he hasn’t done anything yet, but from the veterans I have met, I understand that this common, well-meaning encounter can still be awkwardly generic, sometimes even more so after a tour of duty.  Alienation from the very country these people have signed up to defend is an unfortunate bi-product of having an all-volunteer, professional military, and this detachment is often exacerbated by deployment into the spiritual betrayals of war that over 90% of Americans will never experience.

Politics aside, I remain unequivocal in asserting that the invasion of Iraq was the wrong war badly managed; and the disconnect between that reality and the relative ambivalence among us, the majority population of civilians, is our generation’s burden, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. What we owe is so much more than a casual thank you and a yellow ribbon magnet.    What I believe we owe is to become smarter civilians about who the members of the military are and what exactly the military can and cannot do and, therefore, what it should and should not do in the future.  Between the positions of those who naively would mothball the US Armed Forces and those in the other extreme who think it is an all-purpose, unbreakable tool that can solve every problem, is a complex set of truths in a world whose security landscape looks nothing like the one for which the military was designed just ten years ago.  Yet, even during our last presidential campaign, there was talk, rhetorical though it might have been, of invading Iran.  It was as though millions of Americans were unaware that we’re still paying the price for Iraq, which was a cakewalk compared to what would be required to invade Iran.  Somehow, in the fog of politics, we completely fail to grapple with facts like an average 21 veterans a day are still committing suicide since returning from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. This still-open wound cannot possibly be a Republican/Democrat issue or a liberal/conservative issue. If these and other stories are not simply American issues, then I have to ask what it is these men and women are defending?

Soon after finishing the gone Elvis short, two things happened by which I can summarize my relative silence on these issues and about this project.  The first is that the film was turned down by five out of five of the highly-competitive festivals to which it was submitted; and the second is that I proceeded to have one of the worst financial periods of my life. The combination of rejection and personal panic was, to say the least, not ideal for confidently pursuing any previously stated ambition to take the seeds of the short and do something more ambitious like produce a feature or a series.  At the same time, though, I have continued to pay attention to veterans’ issues and to much of the media and related film work.  To an extent, it seems we are saturated with the illusion of awareness that social media fosters on so many subjects; but with the exception of a few  key documentaries, I don’t feel we have yet seen the film project that is the Coming Home of our generation. Perhaps it’s arrogant to assume that I might possess the skills to produce such a work, but to aim for anything less begs the question of a purpose in the enterprise.

While I was on the road to visit my son, one of the supporting cast members, in anticipation of July 4th, rekindled some interest in gone Elvis through social media, and I noticed a handful of views, and complimentary comments.  I’m not exactly a believer in “signs,” but the coincidence of this online activity and seeing the confident determination in my 19-year-old kid made me think that it might be time to get up off the mat on this project.  I know what’s good about the short, and I know what’s not good about it.  I know the subject still matters and that there is still something to be done that hasn’t been done.  I know one of the mistakes I made was to take on too much too fast and to do way too much on my own.  As such, I am rebooting the project as a more collaborative endeavor, beginning with an old college friend and fellow filmmaker, David Avallone.  The son of a WWII veteran, David is a history buff who shares many of my sensibilities about the military and a desire to produce something that goes beyond fleeting awareness raising.

Also, while in Great Lakes, I had the chance to meet face-to-face with a retired veteran, writer, and professor Lonnie Hodge and his wonderful Service Dog, Gander.  Previously acquainted only through Facebook and Lonnie’s blog Veteran Traveler, it’s always better to make real contact; and we had a great conversation about military life, the digital-age, narcissism, PTSD, martial arts, and of course, dogs.  The discussion bolstered my sense that there is still room for a post-war story that has yet to be told, and after our meeting, Lonnie also shared gone Elvis on his Facebook wall, and I was further encouraged by the comments that followed.

What we have in mind is a series, and details will follow.  In the meantime, I would like to open up this long-dormant blog space to invite anyone with a point of view on veterans’ issues to share comments.

Thank you,

DN

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Memorial Day 2012

Posted by David Newhoff on May 28, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Today, we honor the sacrifices of the men and women who have served in uniform.  Traditionally, we remember those who died in combat, but it is equally if not more important to remember those who still live but for whom the fight is not over.  The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in record-breaking statistics for post-service traumas.  According to this story in the NY Times, there are 25 veteran suicides for every one soldier killed in the field.  Additionally, the rates of divorce, PTSD, substance abuse, and homelessness are off the charts.  The good news is that there seems to be enough awareness about these issues, at least among professionals, that the VA and other organizations are responding to these problems rather than sweeping them under the rug. Still, it is ultimately the majority of civilians who must pay attention, if we are to avoid repeating mistakes in the future.

What motivated me to make gone Elvis was a frustration with the contrast between how complexly costly these wars have been and how over-easily they were sold to the American people. Particularly with the invasion of Iraq, I don’t believe many civilians, from the safety of their unaffected lives, really considered the potential cost in its many forms. During the early days of the invasion, I wrote an article questioning whether or not Americans might be shocked if service-memeber death toll were to reach 10,000; and at the time, even I didn’t think the number would go that high. But if we combine service deaths with post-service suicides (at an estimated rate of 1 every 80 minutes), the number is almost double that and still counting. Of course, the total cost of war — civilian lives, diplomatic instability, dollars, opportunity costs, domestic social trauma — will have lasting effects long after the dead have been buried and saluted. This is why their sacrifice can only be honored, I believe, if we can learn that there is, and never has been, anything simple about a war.

– David Newhoff –

Watch the Movie

Posted by David Newhoff on January 19, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

You can now watch gone ELVIS free on our site.  Just go to the Watch & Listen page.

Katherine Bennett Review on FilmSnobbery

Posted by David Newhoff on November 29, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: filmsnobbery, gone elvis, katherine bennett, review. Leave a comment

GONE ELVIS is a no holds barred witness to the external and internal events of one day in the life of a female homeless veteran. This film, like the post-service life of many military veterans, poses no landscape of fruitful plain and offers no forest of resolution – absent the thoughts and longings for action-to-change the film evokes in its viewers. (read more)

To read more by Katherine Bennett, click here.

Cool!

Posted by David Newhoff on November 22, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

This is our new RQ Code that enables smart phones and other IR readers to link directly to the website.  It even works in camo colors!

Literally a Grass Roots Effort for Local Veterans

Posted by David Newhoff on November 21, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Anyone in the Hudson Valley with time, energy, or dollars to spare this holiday season might want to take a look at this brand new venture to turn a family farm into a housing and therapeutic option for homeless veterans in our region.  I had the pleasure of meeting these folks at our screening in Chatham and hope to see the 1886 Welcome Home Farm become a great resource for local veterans in need.

Please visit 1886 Welcome Home Farm

 

Copyright Alliance Covers Veterans Screening

Posted by David Newhoff on November 21, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

In the midst of the debate over bills intended to preserve jobs in the creative sector, like the Stop Online Piracy Act and the PROTECT IP Act, it is easy to focus purely on the economic contributions and significance of the creative community.   But that misses the bigger picture.

To read the whole blog, click here.

Screening 11.13.11 in Chatham, NY

Posted by David Newhoff on November 12, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. 1 Comment

In honor of Veterans Day weekend, gone Elvis will screen at the Crandell theatre for an invited audience of veterans, their friends and family, and non-veterans.  The film will be followed by a discussion led by David Newhoff and Gary Flaherty, Director of Veterans Services for Columbia County.

http://goneelvisvetday.eventbrite.com/

Veterans Day NYC

Posted by David Newhoff on November 11, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

On 11.11.11, David Newhoff had the pleasure of meeting Airforce SSgt (R) Alicia Watkins, who was originally profiled on the Oprah show when she was homeless and living in rental cars.  These were some of the first stories we saw that brought the issue to our attention.  It was an honor to meet Alicia and to march with the Wounded Warrior Project in the Veterans Day parade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For information about this organization, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Festival Submissions

Posted by David Newhoff on November 2, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

gone Elvis has been submitted to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Boston International Film Festival, the Crossroads Film Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, and the Seattle International Film Festival.  We will update this page with festival news.

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