The G.I. Film Festival is more than just about winning awards; it’s about filmmakers telling stories of the men and women who fight for our freedom every day.
Among the films that will be featured in the festival is the faith-based “Flag of my Father”, starring William Devane, John Schneider, Andrew Sensenig, and Argentine-American Gigi Erneta.
Directed by Rodney Ray, “Flag of my Father” is a patriotic tale of the struggle to mend broken relationships, heal, and forgive.
Capt. Judith Rainier (Erneta), an Army nurse who was a prisoner of war while serving in Iraq and returns home with severe post-traumatic-stress disorder. She and her veteran father share a strong bond because of their common military experiences, which is a source of jealousy among her brothers.
Fox News Latino caught up with Argentine-American Gigi Erneta to talk to her about her experience with the film, patriotism, and her faith.
“There’s a lot of buzz behind it,” says Erneta. “It’s more than I thought. It’s interesting to kind of watch it evolve.”
Erneta says “Flag of my Father” is a very patriotic film that hits home no matter what ethnic background you have.
“I just think that what the American flag stands for really comes out in the film no matter what ethnic background you are,” says Erneta, “I think you’ll walk away going, you know, I’m an American and I’m glad I’m here so especially with what’s going on in the world.”
Erneta said her grandparents, who fled Argentina and eventually moved to the United States, instilled in Erneta a respect and deep love for her country. Erneta says as other Latinos watch the film, they will remember an appreciation for those that went before them.
“I think they’ll take back how important it is to stand up for what we believe in and how important it is that our parents got us here -- or whether it was our grandparents or our great grandparents, whoever got us here,” says adds Erneta, “how awesome it is that we get to be who we are here and express ourselves here and have our culture here. I think the whole point is that’s who we are as Americans and I think that when you leave the theatre, you’ll leave proud of being one”
She said she is proud of her country and proud of her Latino heritage.
“I think it’s important for us to know where our roots are, who we really are. It makes a lot of sense to me,” Erneta says, “I hear tango and it’s like everything inside of me lights up and it’s almost like I see an empanada and you have to hold me back. So there’s something to be said with our culture that I think it’s in our genetics”
Contact Angela M. Santos at angela.santos@foxnewslatino.com or on Twitter@angelamsantos
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