October 30, 2023
SPECIAL FEATURE: Dear Sirs - A Personal Journey Through World War II 75 Years Later
By Dan Pal
One of the great joys of teaching film is watching former students blossom into major figures in the industry. Mark Pedri was an undergraduate student of mine over a decade ago at DePaul University. Since then he has earned advanced degrees at both the University of Wyoming and the University of Southern California. He has managed the Episodic Storytelling program at Sundance Institute and has made a number of documentary films which have played at numerous festivals. His latest is Dear Sirs, a deeply moving film in which he traces the steps of his grandfather during World War II when he became a Prisoner of War. This beautiful and very personal film will be playing throughout the month of November on PBS.
Last week over Zoom I had the great pleasure of catching up with Mark who is truly one of the great success stories coming out of DePaul's Film and Television program. Below is a link to that one hour+ discussion where Mark delves into how the film came together and how he traveled by bike with his wife Carrie through Europe during its production.
First, take a look at the trailer for Dear Sirs.
Next is my interview with Mark Pedri.
Finally, see the list of PBS stations playing Dear Sirs during November, including November 12 at 3 PM on WTTW here in Chicago.