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RealFilms Screening: War Dogs of the Pacific

Presented by Documentary Alliance at Houston Community College - NW (Spring Branch/Town & Country Campus)

January 23, 2010

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RealFilms presents the Houston premiere of War Dogs of the Pacific, a documentary that reveals the little known story of the Marine Dog Program during WWII that placed adopted dogs with special units that hit the beaches of the some of the most hard fought island invasions in the Pacific. If you love dogs, bring plenty of Kleenex for this story of a squad of four-legged, unsung heroes and their devoted handlers. Filmmaker Harris Done and a real military working dog from Lackland Air Force Base will be in attendance.

War Dogs of the Pacific tells the incredible story of the Marine Dog Platoons of World War II. It's an exploration of the unique bond that formed between the young marines and their dogs. They teamed up to perform dangerous missions, but their success at finding the hidden enemy saved countless lives in the Pacific. These dogs proved themselves worthy of the title, 'man's best friend.

The story is told by the dog handlers themselves and the film follows the men and their dogs through training and into combat, from the invasion of Guam to operations on Saipan, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. The film is filled with extensive historical footage and many never before seen photos.

About the Director:
Harris Done is a graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television where he earned a degree in Film Production. While there, he photographed the award-winning film, Hotel November, and directed a documentary about competitive fencing, Throwing Steel. After graduating, he began working in the feature film industry as an assistant cameraman, working for noted Directors of Photography John Alonzo (Chinatown, Harold & Maude) and Julio Macat (Ace Ventura, Wedding Crashers). While learning from seasoned professionals on large studio features, Harris was also cutting his teeth as a Director of Photography, shooting over a dozen low budget features and nearly one hundred music videos.

He moved up the ranks on major studio pictures, serving as the Second Unit Director of Photography on Columbia Pictures The Cable Guy, 20th Century Fox's The Truth About Cats and Dogs, and Touchstone's Krippendorf's Tribe. He teamed up with USC classmate James Moll and served as Director of Photography on the 1999 Academy Award-winning Feature Documentary The Last Days for executive producer Steven Spielberg. They collaborated again on Price for Peace, the Spielberg-produced documentary on World War II in the Pacific, as well as on Inheritance, which was recently featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Other notable D.P. credits include the cult classic Trekkies.

His most recent adventure was shooting Moll's upcoming film Running the Sahara, for which he followed three ultra-marathon runners across the African continent. The film will be released in 2008 and was produced and narrated by Matt Damon. Harris makes his feature documentary directing debut with War Dogs of the Pacific.