The Norman A. Geske Cinema Showcase presents director Mark Pedri and producer Carrie McCarthy, who will join the audience for a Q&A following the 7:30 p.m. screening of DEAR SIRS on Friday, March 4.

SYNOPSIS

After discovering an archive detailing the horrifying journey of his grandfather as an American POW during World War II, a young man from Wyoming sets out 75 years later to retrace his footsteps across Germany on bicycle, piecing together an untold story in an effort to understand the man who helped raise him.

MARK PEDRI, Director

Mark Pedri is an expedition-based documentary filmmaker and writer from Southwestern Wyoming where he tells stories from off the beaten path. Mark founded Burning Torch Productions in 2011 as a nimble production company to focus on character-driven stories from the backcountry and backroads of the world. His films have played at international festivals, on national PBS, and in screening tours around the world. Prior to making films full-time, Mark managed the Episodic Storytelling program at Sundance Institute. Mark has an MFA in Producing from the University of Southern California and an MA in Communication and Journalism from the University of Wyoming. For his most recent film he cycled across Germany to retrace the route of his grandfather who was a Prisoner of War in WWII.

CARRIE McCARTHY, Producer

Carrie McCarthy, PhD is a scientist turned producer who got her start working as a scientific film consultant on documentaries. During her time in academia, Carrie was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to fund her research, which has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences worldwide. Under the shingle of Burning Torch Productions, Carrie produces documentaries, feature-length, and episodic content focusing on character driven non-fiction stories. Her films have won awards at film festivals around the world. Carrie has a PhD in Materials Chemistry from the University of Southern California.