Tuesday, November 04, 2003

Wilmington, NC -- Dr. Lou Buttino, professor of Film Studies and the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies graduate program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, will have a premiere screening of his new documentary, “Broken Brotherhood: Vietnam and the Boys from Colgate, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11 at the Hamilton Theater in Hamilton, New York.

Four years in the making, the documentary uses Colgate University, a once all-male school located in upstate New York, to examine what happened to a generation of college-age students who made fateful choices about whether to fight in Vietnam or fight against the war. Buttino, a conscientious objector, teamed up with Robert Aberlin, his filmmaking partner in New York, to produce the story. Aberlin had a medical deferment during the Vietnam War but was instrumental in getting the university to recognize those from Colgate who had died as a result of Vietnam.

“It’s a story about the choices we made and the effects it had on our friendships and our lives,” said Buttino. “My roommate and best friend at Colgate became a first lieutenant in Vietnam and we had this awful quarrel when he returned and did not speak to each other until the making of this film.” Part of the story is the meeting between these two old friends after 34 years.

“I don’t think our generation ever healed, and I think this has enormous implications for leadership in this country and our foreign policy goals,” Buttino said. “In doing this documentary, and hopefully in its broadcast, maybe some of that healing can come about—and the ghosts of Vietnam will recede.” PBS and HBO have expressed interest in the story.

Buttino has produced more than 20 documentaries and received numerous awards for his work. He was the writer, director and producer of “Troubled Waters: The Illusion of Abundance,” a recent UNCW project which aired on North Carolina public television, UNC-TV. His “Lessons of September: One School Remembers,” the story of families impacted by 9/11 won a prestigious WorldFest award for Best Documentary and has been nominated for a George Foster Peabody Award.

A special collection of Buttino’s work has been established at the William Randall Library at UNC Wilmington. Buttino has also earned numerous honors as a teacher and scholar. “Broken Brotherhood: Vietnam and the Boys from Colgate” is a co-production with UNC Wilmington where a spring 2004 screening is planned.

Contact Dr. Buttino at 910/962-7141.