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Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn?

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Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn?
Directed byZachary Stauffer
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
A CH-53E flies near USS Anzio at sea.

Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn? is an American documentary film released in 2018.

Description

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The documentary examines the events leading up to and immediately after the 2014 crash of a Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon off Cape Henry, Virginia.[1] Three crew members perished in the crash, among them Lieutenant Wes Van Dorn.[2] The documentary exposed widespread reliability issues across both Navy and Marine Corp 53E fleets.[3][4]

The reporting for the documentary included collaborations with the Virginian-Pilot, NBC News, and Honolulu Civil Beat. It was directed by Zachary Stauffer.[5]

Reception

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The documentary was screened at the Mill Valley Film Fest with the Mercury News calling it "A high point in the fest’s documentary category"[6] and the San Francisco Chronicle calling it "A solid piece of investigative journalism."[7] The film was favorably reviewed by Film Threat.[8]

The Nation magazine called the film "a compelling story of how the dysfunction and greed of the military-industrial complex put US military personnel at risk, often with fatal consequences... Every concerned citizen and every member of Congress should see this film. Lives depend on it."[9]

The documentary was poorly received by Navy and Marine Corp senior officers, who declined to cooperate and described the documentary as "garbage journalism".[5]

Awards

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  • Audience Favorite, Mill Valley Film Festival, 2018
  • Best Documentary, Monarch Film Festival, 2018
  • Audience Award, RiverRun International Film Festival, 2019
  • Best Documentary, Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, 2019
  • Special Jury Award, Workers Unite Film Festival, 2019
  • First Time Filmmaker Award, Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, 2019
  • Best Feature Doc, Jacksonville Film Festival, 2019 [10]

Festival selections

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2019

  • Jacksonville Film Festival
  • Alexandria Film Festival
  • San Francisco Veterans Film Festival
  • Ojai Film Festival
  • United Nations Association Film Festival
  • Louisville's International Festival of Film
  • Chagrin Documentary Film Fest
  • Golden Door International Film Festival
  • Niagara Falls International Film Festival
  • Newburyport Documentary Film Festival
  • DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival
  • San Antonio Film Festival
  • New Haven Documentary Film Festival
  • DUMBO Film Festival
  • The Workers Unite Film Festival
  • Newport Beach Film Festival
  • Columbus International Film & Animation Festival
  • RiverRun International Film Festival
  • Annapolis Film Festival
  • Fargo Film Festival
  • San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
  • Sedona International Film Festival

2018

  • Monarch Film Festival
  • Mill Valley Film Festival

References

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  1. ^ Green, Jordan. "RiverRun 2019: Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn?". triad-city-beat.com. Triad City Beat. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  2. ^ Anna Schecter and Jason Paladino, Mike Hixenbaugh. "Sea Dragon Down: The Human Cost of the Navy's Most Crash-Prone Chopper". nbcnews.com. NBC News. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. ^ Paladino, Jason. "Pilot Error, Lack Of Training Blamed For Deadly Marine Helicopter Crash". civilbeat.org. Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  4. ^ D. Hartung, William. "Why Are US Military Personnel Using Unsafe Equipment?". thenation.com. The Nation. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b Stauffer, Zachary. "The US Navy Didn't Take My Reporting Seriously". defenseone.com. Defense One. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  6. ^ Myers, Randy. "Mill Valley Film Fest 2018: Your guide to the films to catch". mercurynews.com. Mercury News. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  7. ^ Lewis, David. "Hidden gems of the Mill Valley Film Festival". sfchronicle.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  8. ^ Parcellin, Paul. "Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn". filmthreat.com. Film Threat. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  9. ^ Hartung, William. "Why Are US Military Personnel Using Unsafe Equipment?". thenation.com. The Nation. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Official Website".
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