Aug. 18, 2009 -
PRLog -- The award winning film "Return to Tarawa" narrated by ED HARRIS is taking the world by storm. The film, which had its world wide release on April 24th on the Discovery Channel, has been embraced by Sen. Feinstein, Congressman Waxman, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and over 100 members of Congress. The movie has been so powerful, that it has received loud applause in the halls of the US. Congress, spurring legislation to locate and repatriate over 300 MIA Marines from the 2nd Division from the Battle of Tarawa, 1943. This battle cost America dearly as we lost 1,113 Marines in 76 hours of bloody fighting. The Japanese lost over 5000 Imperial Marines that November Day. It was the single worst loss in a single battle in the history of 20th century warfare. The Golden Globe Nominee Ed Harris lends his voice to this heart pulsing story following the journey of the last WW II Vet in the battle, 89-year-old Higgins Boat Commander Leon Cooper. Leon has an action plan to clean up the beaches of Tarawa and other South Pacific battle sites that have simply been forgotten about. There are over 78,000 MIAs from WW II and the film, Return to Tarawa is the first film to address this egregious and tragic chapter in in the history of the United States. Los Angeles film maker Steven C. Barber has been able to get world wide media attention from CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, THE PENTAGON CHANNEL, LA TIMES and many more world wide media outlets. Return to Tarawa won the Best Documentary Category at the Staten Island Film Festival out of 5000 films entered. Mr. Barber's film was also just featured in the Malibu Film Festival where it played to a packed house. "Return to Tarawa is one of those rare films that that is transforming lives and really making a difference."
Mr. Barber has entered his film in his boy hood home of Woodstock New York and has been rejected by the festivals director, Meira Blaustein. When calls were made to Ms. Blaustein, she would not come to the phone and no comment was given. To not allow a film of such importance to be in the boy hood home of film maker Steven C Barber is without a doubt a political statement by the the Woodstock film festival that not only REJECTS this award winning film, it REJECTS the efforts of 89-year-old Leon Cooper who saw over 1100 of his comrades fall in front of him. Mr. Cooper and Mr. Barber cannot let this story not be told in any venue as the outcome of repatriation of these forgotten warriors is too important. Please contact the Woodstock Film Festival at 845 679 4265 and ask them to please enter Return to Tarawa in the documentary film category. Mr. Barber states that he had met Ms. Blaustein at the Sundance Film Festival, and she had given every indication that it would be accepted, and after months of calling her and sending emails, there was never a word until this week. "This film is too good, too important and has too many positive aspects for it not to be included in the Woodstock Film Festival."
