Virginia, Front Royal Connections to Public TV Premier of ‘The Green Box: At The Heart Of War’

The Green Box:  At The Heart Of War produced by Dream Catcher Films Entertainment premieres on VPM (Virginia Public Media) World Saturday 11/8 at 6:00 p.m. Narrated by acclaimed actor Martin Sheen, this one-hour documentary is based on a book by Jim Kurtz: THE GREEN BOX. Timed to air around Veteran’s Day, this film tells the story of Kurtz’s decades-long search to learn about his father, Bob Kurtz, who died when Jim was two years old.

The story begins when eight-year-old Jim sneaks into the family attic to explore the contents of a forbidden green box. So begins his lifelong pilgrimage to follow the clues he discovers there – a quest bringing him to understand his father’s service in WW II (a B-24 Co-Pilot), and his untimely death once he returned from the war. The Green Box: At The Heart Of War follows Jim as he travels the world decades later, meets his father’s WW II contemporaries and their descendants, and hears accounts of heroic courage, tragedy, and triumph. Through these remembrances, Jim comes to know an unsung hero who took part in momentous historical moments. And he learns about the depth of his parents’ love, his mother’s overwhelming grief – the often-untold tragic consequences of war.

A website promo shot for the film, with acclaimed Actor Martin Sheen, Narrator, and below a Marquee sign in co-director Holly Stadtler’s childhood hometown of South Boston, VA – Courtesy Photos Green Box Productions and Holly Stadtler

Second Lt. Robert Kurtz experienced what we now understand to be iconic moments of World War II. A tragic air battle, imprisonment in a famous POW camp, and the infamous Forced March across a frozen Europe. In some of their last interviews, veteran POWs who shared those experiences provide first-hand accounts of those desperate times. Crew members’ families share what life was like after the war with loved ones who suffered PTSD. Tuskegee Airmen veterans, who were essential participants in the events, speak to the segregation of black and white pilots. Making the story complete, the audience learns from experts about the effects of war trauma on those who participate, their loved ones, and communities, and on the generations who come afterwards.

Combat veterans returning from war bear scars, both psychological and physical.  But they aren’t the only ones who suffer. Often, their family members endure pain and sorrow, passing along generational trauma to their offspring. This intimate film explores one family’s journey through passion, bravery, and loss during WW II and the decades that followed. It is a story that informs the present through the lived experiences of an iconic past; one that resonates with all combat veterans and their families, and enlightens those of us who have never directly faced the trauma of war.

Photo of ‘Green Box’ author Jim Kurtz’s dad, Bob, in uniform.

Virginia-based Production Team 

Long-time resident of Virginia and former JMU graduate, Holly Barden Stadtler, Owner of Dream Catcher Films Entertainment and Co-Director of this film, has been making documentaries for over 25 years. Her Co-Director and script writer, Victoria Hughes, a UVA graduate, has also directed, written, and produced documentaries for cable broadcasters for more than two decades. Together they have produced films for major broadcasters including: National Geographic, PBS, The Discovery Channel, The Smithsonian Society, and the BBC, as well as several independent films. Experienced Editor Kristin Frascione, who has worked with the Producers on several projects, is also a VA resident (Front Royal).

To tell the story, the production team traveled to the Austrian Alps, where Bob Kurtz’s B-24 crashed, and interviewed witnesses of the air battle. They traveled to Sagan, Poland, the site of the infamous POW camp Stalag Luft III, where the Great Escape occurred and where Bob Kurtz was held captive. In addition, Stadtler combed the archives and libraries to find relevant WWII footage and still pictures that bring the story to life.

When asked why she wanted to make this movie, Stadtler responded: “This film reveals the many ways in which a family was deeply and irrevocably impacted by WW II – even decades after the fighting ended. It illustrates how no one involved in any war, directly or indirectly, comes away uninjured: not the combatants, their families, their children, or their communities.”

In addition to PBS airings, The Green Box: At The Heart Of War will have a theatrical screening at the World of Sports Movie Theatre in South Boston, Halifax County, Virginia, Sunday, 11/2 at 1:30 p.m., followed by a Q&A. The screening is sponsored by Karin Kuhn, Realtor, Mecklenburg County Veterans’ Memorial, and Clarksville Ruritan Club and Post 8, American Legion. Tickets are $10 and available online through the film’s website: greenboxfilm.com or in person.

More information, including clips and a trailer at <greenboxfilm.com>