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"Letters Home to Hero Street": Emmy Nomination for WQPT and Fourth Wall Films

August 7, 2015

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MOLINE, IL — The award-winning documentary "Letters Home to Hero Street," produced by Lora Adams of WQPT-Quad Cities PBS and Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, has received a Mid-America Emmy nomination in the historical documentary category. A gala award ceremony will take place in St. Louis (MO) October 3.

"Letters Home to Hero Street" focuses on a young Mexican-American veteran's personal view of World War II, as told through the letters he sent home to his family in Silvis (IL). He becomes one of eight veterans of WWII and the Korean War killed in combat from the same block-and-a half-long neighborhood now called "Hero Street, USA."

The documentary chronicles the story of Frank Sandoval, who was just beginning a new job at the Rock Island Arsenal when he was drafted in 1942. He sent hundreds of letters to family and friends during the two years he was in the service, and the 130 letters that remain tell the story of one man's dramatic and epic journey from Illinois to India. Killed on the bank of the Irrawaddy River in Burma June 1944, Sandoval was one the first of the "Hero Street Eight" to fall in combat.

Reenactments in the film feature Eric Juarez, Maya Chavez, Cindy Ramos and Josh Wielenga, all from the Quad Cities. WQPT's Chris Ryder was the cinematographer.

The 25-minute historical documentary film was partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and recently received a Silver Eddy and the Audience award at the 2015 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival.

More information about the film is available at herostreetmovie.com.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles and is now based in Moline (IL). This is the second Emmy nomination for Fourth Wall Films' Kelly and Tammy Rundle.

For more information, contact Mary Pruess of WQPT at (309) 764-2400 or via email at M-Pruess@wiu.edu.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University. For more information, visit wqpt.org.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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