AverageNCO, Stealing Valor and the GI Film Festival

You may or may not know that our own AverageNCO’s film, Stealing Valor, which he premiered here late last year, has been selected as one of the films to be shown at the GI Film Festival this week. He was interviewed at Lifezette recently;

Q: What does it mean to have your film screened at the GI Film Festival, and what are your plans for the movie after the event?
A: I’m overwhelmed my film was selected to be screened. It was a student project, and to see it selected for screening beside professional filmmakers is extremely humbling. I’m honored. I don’t think it’s a testament to my skills as a filmmaker, as much as it is to the [stories] and the people I profiled. The network of veterans working to expose imposters is an amazing group of people. They served their country and took an oath to defend it. They continue to serve — but now they’re defending the legacies of the men and women they served with, the legacies of their fellow veterans.

I hope as many people as possible can see my film to simply acquire a basic understanding of stolen valor. I’m working full-time as a reporter now, and I use the film as a tool when I lecture to undergraduate journalism students at Pittsburg State.

I would love to speak to other aspiring journalists on the subject — and teach them how not to be duped by an imposter in the future.

If you haven’t seen the video yet, you really should. AverageNCO traveled the country to get the story from the mouths of the stolen valor community. He was tireless in documenting the story. And if you’re in DC this weekend, put the GI Film Festival on your schedule.

Category: Veterans in the news