Dear Sir First time at LCCC

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – Ten years after his death, Mark Pedri discovers a long-lost secret about his grandfather that he didn’t know when he was alive.

The mystery inspired a film that has been shown across Wyoming and will debut at Laramie County Community College.

Director Mark Pedry grew up in Rock Springs, Wyoming, attended the University of Wyoming for journalism and earned his film degree at USC.

This documentary filmmaker stumbled upon his grandfather’s secret when he found a knife in his grandfather’s bed.

This unusual event leads Pedri down a rabbit hole and he learns that his grandfather was a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II.

“I guess knowing him and realizing he had this piece of him he never disclosed was the catalyst for telling the story,” Pedri said.

Newspaper articles, government documents and photographs of his 24-year-old grandfather as a soldier were a moment of discovery for Pedri.

“Trying to meet a version of someone that you didn’t get to meet when they were alive, that was really the premise of the movie,” Pedri said.

After 75 years of his grandfather’s service, this incident became the inspiration for the film.

“It came from a very personal place, just wanting to get to know that side of him. And through that process I realized that, you know, it’s a very common story of people in World War II,” Pedri said.

Pedri says many returning veterans left a part of themselves to come home again.

“It’s really a film that reminds us of what it means to be a community and the power of storytelling,” Pedri said.

Governor Mark Gordon. will deliver opening remarks in the Surbrugg Prentice Auditorium at LCCC.

For information about the film, click Here.

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