Dallas has a new film festival on the books, and if the event chairs are any indication of its potential success, then we think this is the beginning of a beautiful tradition honoring an important organization.
The inaugural Stars & Stripes Film Festival is set for November 6-9 at Angelika Film Center. Leading the charge is philanthropic power couple Lynn and Allan McBee. The festival’s beneficiary is Sons of the Flag, an organization committed to supporting military, first responder and civilian burn survivors.
At an announcement party at Highland Park Village Theatre Wednesday night, the McBees, honorary chairs Louise and Guy Griffeth, and Sons of the Flag founder Ryan “Birdman” Parrott shared that the festival is an exciting opportunity to watch movies about the United States Armed Forces and hear real accounts from Medal of Honor veterans who fought in the battles.
“My husband, Allan, and I are thrilled to be chairing the inaugural Stars & Stripes Film Festival, honoring veterans as well as active duty service men and women,” Lynn said. “This film festival is the first of its kind for North Texas and will include four days of iconic films and documentaries celebrating our nation’s finest.”
The Dallas Film Society is handling logistics and programming. Films include Act of Valor, Saving Private Ryan, Top Gun, Platoon, Stripes, Black Hawk Down, Missing in Action, Tora! Tora! Tora! and many more, for a total of 14.
An opening night reception and screening of Act of Valor kicks things off November 6; question-and-answer sessions take place following each screening. All proceeds from the Stars & Stripes Film Festival benefit Sons of the Flag, and all screenings are free to veterans.
Sons of the Flag provides funding for innovative research, fellowships for doctors to further their training in treating burn survivors, and support for those impacted by a traumatic burn. Event information, including sponsorship, can be found on the Sons of the Flag website.
“There are 700,000 people today who get burned each year, of which only 40,000 will receive life-long treatment, and there are only 200 to 300 burn surgeons in this country to properly treat [them],” Parrott added. “We have to do better. A lot better. And that’s why we formed Sons of the Flag.”
Ryan "Birdman" Parrott, founder of Son of the Flag, served three combat tours to Iraq before being assigned to Advanced Training Command as an Instructor. He was a part of Navy Seal team seven.
