Beaufort, S.C. -- The 5th annual Beaufort International Film Festival featured a prerelease screening of the documentary “Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good” free of charge for service members Feb. 19.
Later that day, the documentary’s director, Jonathan Flora, was presented the inaugural Santini Patriot Spirit Award, for outstanding portrayal of the American military, veterans or their families in a feature film, documentary or short. The award is named after Col. Donald “The Great Santini” Conroy.
Flora’s movie was based around Gary Sinise, known far and wide for his performance as Lt. Dan Taylor in the hit movie “Forrest Gump.” It documented a story about the band Sinise formed to tour the globe performing for troops.
“When we first started deploying to Afghanistan and started losing troops, I immediately called the United Service Organization asking what I could do,” Sinise explained in the film. He said he felt for the families of the fallen, and felt it was his responsibility to do something for the troops who were sacrificing so much after the events of 9/11.
As the film went on, the documentary showed how a little jam band put together by Sinise and a few friends grew into a popular, talented USO sensation that toured for military audiences across the world. The Lt. Dan Band has performed more than 500 concerts for service members and their families including trips into combat zones for troops.
“We’re drawn to heroes,” Flora said in a discussion with the audience following the screening. “They may be average people but when you put them in an unusual situation, they become heroes.”
Flora, who traveled to installations with Sinise, took note of how Sinise interacted with the service members.
“I’ve seen the way he talks with and treats our troops – he really appreciates what they do,” Flora added. “He shakes hands with every person in uniform he can, because you never know what will happen tomorrow.”
Flora said service members can tell pretty quickly when someone is “putting them over,” or being phony with them. However Sinise has an obvious sincerity and is passionate in his patriotism, he explained. The poignant way the documentary showcased the efforts of Sinise and the stories of the troops resonated deeply with the audience, who rose for a standing ovation following the film screening.
“That movie was amazing,” said Cpl. Carlos Serna, a defense clerk from the Depot Law Center, who attended the screening. “It reminded me there’s more to the military than Parris Island – that we’ve got brothers and sisters in harm’s way. It’s good to know there are people who care enough to go into a dangerous place just to entertain us.”
It clearly impressed the film society as well, as they granted Flora both the Santini Award and the award for best documentary during the awards gala at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts.
“I didn’t make the movie to try for the award,” he explained. “I saw what Gary was doing and knew someone had to tell the story. Gary Sinise is the Bob Hope of this generation.”
The filmmakers are still deciding on the best way to distribute the film. While it has screened at several film festivals, it is not scheduled to play in mainstream movie theaters, according to the director.
“As of right now, we’re going to keep this film only in certain theaters,” Flora said. “We’re just going to keep this as a special thing.”