Public Relations - In The News

" D-Day : The Price of Freedom "
Premiere Friday June 1, 2007 - College Saint-Exupéry, Ste. Mère-Eglise
Translated and presented by Vivian Roger

Hello, I am Vivian Roger and this is my husband Rodolphe, your host and hostess for the evening. We are both active members of the Association U. S. Normandie. Daniel Briard is our president (please stand). We would like to thank everyone for coming tonight to this French premiere of the American made documentary "D-Day : The Price of Freedom", written, produced, and directed by Tim Gray ; photographed and edited by Jim Karpeichik ; sub-titled in French by Nicolas Blaise. Our association would like to thank the principal of this school, M. Agnoletti, for so warmly receiving our request to show the film here for the first time to the public.

The French version of this film was made possible by a generous donation of one of the veterans in this film, Chris Heisler, who is with us tonight with some of his family from Rhode Island, USA. I would like to present to you veteran Walter "Chris" Heisler, 82nd Airborne Division, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, almost 91 years old and still vertical. His wife, Gloria. His daughter, Jill, and her companion, Joe. (applause)

The Association U. S. Normandie assisted the filmmakers by organizing a day of filming concentrated on areas related to Chris Heisler. That day of filming included Utah Beach ; Ste. Mère-Eglise ; a visit at the Groupe Scolaire Arsène Lefillatre in Montebourg with 100 school children, thanks to José Gimenez, a teacher there ; a ceremony at the site of a memorial near Négreville where Chris Heisler's C-47 crashed ; a ceremony at the 507th PIR Monument in Amfreville ; and a community and association dinner with honours for the veterans in Amfreville. Thanks to all who participated!!!

A year has passed since the introduction of this film to the American public for viewing on television and the sale of DVDs. And just recently, it won two Emmys, one for "Outstanding Achievement, Writing in a Documentary Program (Tim Gray/Writer) and "Outstanding Photography, Documentary Program (Jim Karpeichik/Director of Photography). The film was also nominated for a third Emmy, "Outstanding Documentary Program". What a shame that the film was not available to the French! Chris Heisler had a strong desire to share this film, and all that it represents, with the French. He contacted his friend, Vivian Roger, member of the Association U. S. Normandie, to ask if she would help. Chris proposed to pay for the sub-titles if our association would take on the task and finance the manufacturing of the disk. A long story made short, Chris arrived in Normandy yesterday with the DVDs in his wife Gloria's suitcase! The DVDs are available for sale tonight after the showing of the film for 20 euros…outside by the Association U. S. Normandie; and in town by the Ste. Mère-Eglise Tourist Office. All proceeds will go to our non-profit association to fund this and other D-Day projects. And in advance, we wish to thank you for your interest and support of our association and the veterans.

And now, a bit of our history travels to the present in the recollections of these veterans on film………………..……..