2007 "Moving Pictures" Awards Program

The drama unfolded at the historic Riverview Theater in Minneapolis on Sunday night as the Minnesota Historical Society announced the five award winning films in the Minnesota’s Greatest Generation Moving Pictures Film Competition.  More than 400 filmmakers and event-goers walked past the searchlights for red-carpet arrivals in “old Hollywood” style in anticipation of the winning results.

The five award winning films from 2007were selected from 60 films submitted by amateur and professional filmmakers across the state of Minnesota.  Each of the 10-minute documentary films focus on the life and legacy of Minnesota’s Greatest Generation – the men and women who came of age during the Depression and World War II.

The four local news stations did live interviews with filmmakers and the festival was covered in both local major newspapers and as far away as London and China. Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune movie critic, reviewed the five documentary films and gave them three of four stars, and added, "Ken Burns watch your back."

Award Presenter and Comcast Executive Mary Beth Schubert announced that the five award winning films will be available in a new On Demand cable service in 2008.

2007 Award Winning Films

Best Film: "Coming Home"
By Matt Ehling

“Coming Home,” tells the story of Bill Ehling, a World War II combat veteran who fought in the European theater.  Through family photos, historical footage, and glimpses of his hometown, the film relates Bill’s memories of war, struggle and, finally, coming home.  Footage of their family farm abstractly represents how Matt, as a boy, internalized his grandfather’s war stories. View the Film

Filmmaker Matt Ehling (second from right) after receiving the Best Film Award from presenters Ted Wryk (left), Freya Schirmacher (second from left) and Festival Director Randal Dietrich (right)

Coming of Age in the 1940s: "Prisoner 32,232"
By Gayle Knutson

“Prisoner 32,232” recalls the story of longtime Minnesota college professor Reidar Dittmann and how the Nazi invasion of his native Norway led to his involvement in the Norwegian Resistance and a 15-month incarceration in the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp at the age of 20. View the Film

Filmmaker Gayle Knutson (center) with presenter Dianne Steinbach of TPT (left) and Randal Dietrich (right)

Comcast Emerging Filmmaker Award: "Resonance"
By Paul Creager

“Resonance” by Paul Creager tells the story of Duluth Mayor George D. Johnson as he and the city were faced with a difficult decision:  to keep a Buddhist temple bell as a war trophy from the USS Duluth or return it. View the Film

Best Collaboration : "Skating the Pacific to Europe"
By Rita Nagan and Jeremy Wilker

“Skating the Pacific to Europe” tells the story of Art Seaman who began his skating career in Longfellow Park and literally skated and danced his way from Minnesota to the Pacific to the 1948 Olympics and back again. View the Film

Filmmakers Rita Nagan (left) and Jeremy Wilker (center) with Randal Dietrich (right)

Legacy Award: "Marianne Hamilton: A Voice of Peace"
By Kevin McKeever

“Marianne Hamilton:  A Voice of Peace,” is about a woman who exemplifies Minnesota’s activist spirit in the 20th century.  Marianne Hamilton recounts her amazing struggles including leading the GI Wives Club during World War II, venturing to Hanoi for peace during the Vietnam War and ultimately, co-creating the Women Against Military Madness in defiance of the Cold War. View the Film

Filmmaker Kevin McKeever (left) with presenter Michael Fox of MHS (center) and Randal Dietrich (right)

Honorable Mention

• "One in a Million" by Amanda Becker
• "Finding Flight" by Jesse Roesler and Jen Larson
• "Gabe & Gene" by Stephen Gurewitz and Adam Ginsberg

Register for 2008

Register (free) today online.

Additional Screenings

Past Forward

• Tuesday, October 23, 2007
• History Center, St. Paul
• 7:00 - 9:00 pm
• $8 adults; $6 MHS Members, seniors, and college students; $4 children ages 14 and up
• Reservations required, call 651-259-3015

As part of the Past Forward Tuesday night series, encore screenings of the five award winning films will be held at the History Center Tuesday night.  The screenings will include an exclusive talk-back session with the filmmakers about how they documented the compelling and deeply personal stories of Minnesotans who came of age during the Depression and World War II. 

Select Films to Screen at Your Local Library

Select submissions will be showcased in a statewide tour through the fall including public screenings at libraries, historic sites and schools.  The tour kicks off with an 11-city public library tour starting with Minneapolis Central Library on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m.