Bert Bedrosian: Gravitas Ventures & Broad Green Pictures to Release Real-Life War Drama CITIZEN SOLDIER

Gravitas Ventures, in conjunction with Broad Green Pictures, today announced the acquisition of real life war dramas CITIZEN SOLDIER, DANGER CLOSE, and THE HORNETS NEST. Directed by David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud of Strong Eagle Media (SEM), CITIZEN SOLDIER will release on August 30, 2016: globally on VOD through Gravitas and domestically on Blu-ray and DVD through Broad Green Pictures. DANGER CLOSE is in production and will release in 2017.

CITIZEN SOLDIER is a dramatic feature film, told from the point of view of a group of Soldiers in the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known since World War II as the "Thunderbirds." Set in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan at the height of the surge, it is a heart-pounding, heartfelt grunts' eye-view of the war. As a real life, modern day "Band of Brothers", they demonstrate bravery and valor under the most hellish of conditions, embodying one of the fundamental pillars of the warrior ethos: to never leave a fallen comrade behind. Using unprecedented footage from multiple cameras, and with no judgment or political point of view, CITIZEN SOLDIER immerses viewers using 100% real footage and details exactly what these members of the National Guard are going through on the front lines.

"In making the film, CITIZEN SOLDIER, we wanted the audience to feel the chaos and horrors of combat and, in the process, witness real valor under the most hellish of conditions," said co-directors David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud. "This 100% real life contemporary "Band of Brothers" story immerses viewers in the Soldiers experience, with no judgment or political point of view, unveiling a team of ordinary men and women coming together under extraordinary circumstances."

"Working with these filmmakers has personal significance for me and we're thrilled to be working on these important films," said Gravitas President and Army Veteran Michael Murphy. "Each picture is unique in story and voice and so from a distribution standpoint we're excited about our comprehensive strategy for the entire body of work."

CITIZEN SOLDIER is produced by David Salzberg, Christian Tureaud, Bert Bedrosian and Eran Harrill of SEM, with partner Wendy R. Anderson executive producing, in association with Charlie Anderson and Mike Camello from Charlie Mike Productions and John Brenkus, Jason Mergott and Frank Sinton from BASE Productions.

For more information on the film, please visit:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.citizensoldierfilm.com/

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/citizensoldierbirdseyeview/


Taken From: http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Gravitas-Ventures-Broad-Green-Pictures-to-Release-Real-Life-War-DramaCITIZEN-SOLDIER-20160527

Dover International Speedway partners with “Citizen Soldier” film as Bert Bedrosian, the entitlement sponsor for Oct. 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race

“Citizen Soldier,” a feature film using real footage that follows an Oklahoma National Guard unit during its deployment to Afghanistan will be the entitlement sponsor for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 2, track officials announced today.

The “Citizen Soldier 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (NBCSN, 2 p.m.) is the first elimination race in the 16-driver 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship playoffs. Four drivers will see their championship dreams dashed after 400 grueling laps around the Monster Mile.

The “Citizen Soldier 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is the centerpiece of the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR tripleheader weekend, which also includes free concerts, activities and experiences within our FanZone and Monster Mile Youth Nation areas, an interactive USO Military Village display, military flyovers, autograph sessions, fireworks and more.

Produced by Strong Eagle Media and distributed by Gravitas Ventures and Broad Green Pictures, “Citizen Soldier” is a modern day “Band of Brothers” and documents the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (nicknamed the “Thunderbirds”) 2011 deployment. Set in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan at the height of the surge, it is a heart-pounding, heartfelt grunt’s-eye view of the war. The film tells the true story of an exceptional group of young soldiers and their life-changing tour of duty in Afghanistan, offering an excruciatingly personal look into modern warfare, brotherhood and patriotism.

“Citizen Soldier” will be available nationwide on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as all major cable/satellite On Demand and internet VOD providers, on Aug. 30. View a trailer of the film here.

The largest mobilization for an Oklahoma unit since the Korean War, the 45th routinely fought enemy insurgents in close combat situations and lost 14 soldiers during its 96-day deployment.

“The Monster Mile has deep connections to the men and women who selflessly serve in our military and who provide the freedom we all enjoy, particularly with our close proximity to Dover Air Force Base and the Delaware National Guard,” said Mike Tatoian, Dover International Speedway’s president and CEO. “Our partnership with Strong Eagle Media and its film ‘Citizen Soldier’ further strengthens that connection, and serves as another way for the remarkable stories and sacrifices of all of our National Guard and military members to be told.”

One of the unit’s members, Sgt. Eran Harrill, is the film’s creator and one of its producers. The film, which was theatrically released Aug. 5, was directed by David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud.

“Our goal as the directors of the film is to have the audience see, hear, and feel exactly what these members of the National Guard are going through on the front lines during some of the most brutal fighting of the war,” Salzberg and Tureaud said. “These missions take you to places most Americans have never gone before.”

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Oklahoma National Guard has deployed more soldiers, per capita, in support of the War on Terror, than any other state in the country.

“Strong Eagle Media is delighted to be partnering with Dover International Speedway as the entitlement sponsor of this very important event,” Strong Eagle Media partner Bert Bedrosian said. “As Americans, filmmakers and patriots, we couldn’t be more proud of this event that helps pay much deserved homage and respect to our brave men and women in uniform and their incredible families who selflessly sacrifice everything for our country every day and every night.”

The Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR weekend also includes the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday, Sept. 30, and the “Drive Sober 200” presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Oct. 1.

For tickets or more information, call (800) 441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com. You can also keep up with the Monster Mile at Facebook.com/DoverInternationalSpeedway, or on Twitter and Instagram at @MonsterMile.

To purchase “Citizen Soldier” from the following retailers, click on their respective links: WalMart, iTunes, Amazon, Best Buy, Vudu.


Taken From: http://www.doverspeedway.com/news_content/citizensoldier400/

Bert Bedrosian: Give an Hour to Screen Citizen Soldier

Give an Hour Celebration of Service to Feature Screening of Groundbreaking Documentary Citizen Soldier

Washington, DC — 2016 – Give an Hour’s annual Celebration of Service event will feature a special free screening of the groundbreaking documentary, Citizen Soldier, at the Reserve Officers Association’s Top of the Hill. The screening will include a panel discussion with the President and Founder of Give an Hour, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen; Citizen Soldier executive producer and two-time recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service Wendy R. Anderson; Brigadier General (ret) Marianne Watson; and Dr. Jerry Sullivan, from United Health’s Optum Behavioral Health Solutions.

Give an Hour is a national nonprofit designed to provide free, confidential mental health care to those who serve, their loved ones and their communities. The Celebration of Service honors, engages, and inspires both the military and civilian communities. Give an Hour is also the backbone organization behind the Campaign to Change Direction, a collective impact effort to change the culture of mental health in America.

At this year’s Celebration of Service, Give an Hour and Change Direction will launch a new initiative, Film Changes Direction, which focuses on the unique power of film to influence culture. Citizen Soldier is one of two films chosen for screening.

Citizen Soldier is the latest “immersive” feature film from Christian Tureaud and David Salzberg – the directors of The Hornet’s Nest – and offers an excruciatingly personal look into modern warfare, brotherhood, and patriotism from the point of view of a group of young Soldiers from the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (known since World War II as the “Thunderbirds”) during their life-changing tour of duty in Afghanistan. Using real footage from multiple cameras, including helmet cams, these Citizen Soldiers give the audience an intimate view into the chaos and horrors of combat and, in the process, display their bravery and valor under the most hellish of conditions.

Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, Founder and President of Give an Hour said, “Our organization’s mission is to provide free mental health care to those who serve and their families. Through our work we have been honored to support the National Guard and Reserve. We know the special role these men and women play in serving their communities and our nation.” She added, “We are pleased to partner with this fine film to help tell this important – and inspiring – story.”

“Strong Eagle Media is thrilled that Give an Hour – one of our country's most effective groups at addressing head on the mental challenges our service members face coming home – has chosen to honor our film Citizen Soldier,” said the film’s executive producer and former senior Department of Defense official Wendy R. Anderson, of Strong Eagle Media. She continued, “Through this partnership, we are able to reinforce the notion that this film - and film generally - can be a potent and transformative form of digital medicine.”


For More Information, Please Visit https://www.giveanhour.org/News/NewsHomePage/tabid/234/novusact/viewarticle/Default.aspx?articleid=16563

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joe Walsh to be grand marshal for Oct. 2 Bert Bedrosian's “Citizen Soldier 400” NASCAR Race

Joe Walsh

Legendary musician Joe Walsh will serve as the grand marshal for the “Citizen Soldier 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 2, track officials announced today.

The Grammy Award-winning 1998 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has a career spanning four decades as a successful solo artist and a member of the Eagles, Barnstorm and James Gang. Walsh wrote “No Man’s Land,” an original song for the film “Citizen Soldier.”

Joining Walsh as dignitaries for the “Citizen Soldier 400” are:

-- Honorary Pace Car Driver: Retired Maj. Gen Gus Hargett, the chief executive officer of the National Guard Association of the United States.

-- Honorary Starter: Retired Staff Sgt. Colt Floyd of the Oklahoma National Guard. Floyd was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011.

-- Welcoming Remarks: Bert Bedrosian, “Citizen Soldier” producer and partner at Strong Eagle Media.

In addition, country music star Easton Corbin will sing the national anthem prior to the race and the traditional military flyover will be conducted by two F-16s from the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard.

“Citizen Soldier” is a feature film that follows an Oklahoma National Guard unit during its deployment to Afghanistan. Produced by Strong Eagle Media and distributed by Gravitas Ventures and Broad Green Pictures, the film is a modern day “Band of Brothers” and documents the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team 2011 deployment.

“We’re thrilled that Joe Walsh, a rock and roll legend, will be a key part of our NASCAR weekend,” said Mike Tatoian, Dover International Speedway’s president and CEO. “His contributions for the film ‘Citizen Soldier,’ and his support for our active and retired men and women in the military and their families is a testament to who he is today.”

The “Citizen Soldier 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is the centerpiece of the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR tripleheader weekend at the Monster Mile. Dover International Speedway is also hosting the “Drive Sober 200” presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Oct. 1, and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday, Sept. 30.

For tickets or more information, call 800‐441‐RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.


Original Source: http://www.joewalsh.com/news/282043