BECAUSE EVERYONE NEEDS A PLACE TO CALL HOME...
BRATS: Our Journey Home A Donna Musil Film Featuring Narration and Music by Kris Kristofferson
BRATS: Our Journey Home
BRATS: Our Journey Home
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BRATS: Our Journey Home
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CinemaATL
"News & Notes: "Brats" comes home to AFF"
Martin Kelley
May 31, 2006

Article
Army Brats featured in new documentary

Brats: Our Journey Home documents reminiscences of the growing-up experiences of children of American military personnel-the infamous and eponymous "brats"-who have at times struggled to fit into an America with which they have little in common. Donna Musil, the film's writer and director and an Army brat herself, came upon the idea for her film in 1998.

"I became interested in doing a documentary on military kids after attending an impromptu reunion of some Taegu, Korea, classmates in Washington, DC," she said. "I lived in Taegu from '73 to '75, and our 9th grade class had around ten people, total.

"For the first time in 20 years, I felt like I belonged somewhere-I fit in."

Kris Kristofferson, an Air Force brat, narrates the film, which features interviews with other notable military offspring, including General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

Even without traditional funding, Musil was able to enlist the help of many to complete the film-many of the crew were military brats themselves. "The most challenging aspect of completing this film was...sticking with it. As any brat knows, commitment is not our greatest strength, and this was a difficult film to make," Musil said.

"It took over six years. But I'm a better person for having finished it...and it seems to be helping a lot of people. So I'm glad I stuck with it."

The film has been selected for screening at several other film festivals in addition to the Atlanta Film Festival.

Although this is the first feature film that Musil has directed, she has written a variety of scripts-including Ananse, a children's animated film based on African folktales which is currently in development, as well as Rebuilding America's Communities, a Carter Center documentary about inner-city poverty.

Musil currently makes her home in Georgia. She attended the University of Georgia where she earned a B.A. in journalism 1981 and a law degree in '85.

Brats: Our Journey Home will screen June 15th, at 5:30, at Landmark Midtown Arts Cinema.

Martin Kelley is Editor-in-Chief of CinemATL.com. He's also a local screenwriter and filmmaker who co-founded and became co-president of the Atlanta Screenwriters Group, one of the largest screenwriter organizations in the Southeast.

BRATS: Our Journey Home
BRATS: Our Journey Home
The first documentary about growing up military.