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The Resilient is an American rock band comprised of some of the most combat wounded people in history.

During their physical rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Tim Donley – Singer/Songwriter; Nate Kalwicki – Guitar;  and Juan “Dom” Dominguez – Drums, met Music Director and Guitarist – Greg Loman through the MusiCorps program. They have since developed and maintained a brotherly bond through their friendship and commitment to music.

Producer Andie Clarke was searching for a very specific modern day sound that would resonate with a wide audience and to play during the closing credits of her historical drama, Elijah and Jack,  A Revolutionary Tale.

Elijah and Jack – A Revolutionary Tale follows the adventures of Elijah, a courageous 8-year-old farm-boy, and his faithful dog Jack as they encounter famous figures of the American Revolution on his search for his father who has gone missing after the 1778 Battle of Monmouth. Described by its creators as Huckleberry Finn meets The Patriot, the movie is an adventurous, at-time humorous, heartfelt story steeped in Family, Freedom, Home with a surprising twist of Redemption!

Clarke “envisioned a song that would bring the past to the present; a modern day rock song with a patriotic beat and haunting undertones”.

After seeing The Resilient on a news special Spring 2019, Clarke reached out to the band and invited them to write and record a theme song for the movie.

After several months in the studio, the band went above and beyond to capture the essence of Clarke’s vision with the song “The Cost of Freedom“!

Clarke shares “The Cost of Freedom” is one of those time tested nostalgic songs that will have you humming the melody and singing the tune throughout the day. It is absolutely perfect for our story and honoring those who sacrificed so much for our God given rights to be free.”

She also states “Working with the band has been an honor and supports our motivations to give back to veterans and their families.”

According to Band Manager Kelly Donley, The Resilient will release the song as a single and will also appear on their first album. Date to be announced soon.

With many of its members literally given a second chance at life, The Resilient have committed to a new mission: presenting and sharing their powerful message through songwriting and a passion for honest musicianship.

“There’s something about it, that just, the motivation, the drive, the soul of it. It doesn’t feel it can go anywhere but up,” Tim Donley said.

Audiences across the country will confirm that witnessing this rare unity of military discipline and artistic freedom- along with their extraordinary physical abilities, that allow them to overcome and perform like there is no tomorrow- is what makes The Resilient unmissable.

Elijah and Jack – A Revolutionary Tale is a Fiscally Sponsored Production and can accept tax-deductible donations to support the production. To learn more visit the movie productions crowdfunding campaign: https://fromtheheartproductions.networkforgood.com/projects/50459-feature-films-elijah-and-jack-movie

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Movie Contact: Andrea M Clarke, Producer – info@1663MediaArts.com

Elijah & Jack – A Revolutionary Tale

Band Contact: Kelly Donley, Manager – kelly@theresilientband.com

The Resilient

 

Some times things just fall into place! Some would call this a “God-thing”, I would agree.

As an Independent Film working on raising funds for our production, it is not easy getting relevant footage for a historical drama due to a number of elements one cannot run down to the local Home Depot and pick up!

Al Underwood of the Horses in Action Foundation calls one afternoon to tell me they will be in Yorktown the next morning with the horses and to grab everyone I could to capture footage for our funding trailer!

This was our chance to shoot the British Dragoons “riding hard and fast” towards the Paterson Farmhouse!

In the meantime, Eliza Kelley, our Maggie Paterson, messages me for an update and she jumps at the chance to drive down last minute from Northern Virginia!

Allen Williamson “Eli Paterson” is already in the area from Los Angeles working on another production, he happily joins us!

Upon arrival, we meet Edward Brown, a 17-year-old horse riding prodigy and Tim Platek, an 18th Century Chaplain, both in full wardrobe! I cast them in our feature production on the spot!

It gets even better!

We had some wardrobe on hand for Allen and Eliza, thanks to Lionheart Film Works, however were missing a couple of pieces for their characters. Edward’s mom happens to be Kathrin Breitt Brown, Historic Costumer and Lead Interpreter at George Washington’s Mt Vernon! Not kidding! Kathrin stepped in with additional items they had on hand to complete the characters’ wardrobe!

But wait, there is more!

Called up my Consulting Producer John Forte, Jr “John, I need a Camera Person TOMORROW!” Meet Jay Gates, straight from a dental appointment he drives an hour+ including coming through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (those who live in the area get that significance)!  He got to work straight away setting up different cameras to capture various angles of the horses charging directly towards him! It was intense! And, Jay is providing Voice Over Narration and Editing the Funding Trailer!

Now, I am not one to believe in coincidence, but I do believe things happen for a reason and bring the right people into your life at the right time!

The bottom line is, when I set out to make Elijah and Jack, A Revolutionary Tale – I knew it was going to be difficult. But you can see a little bit behind the scenes how it is all totally worth it!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

~ Andrea M Clarke – Producer, Director, Writer

http://ElijahandJack.com

 

 

 

 

 

Through the eyes of a courageous 8-year-old farm boy and his faithful dog Jack, the Historical Drama Elijah and Jack – A Revolutionary Tale brings the audience into an edge-of-seat adventure woven in the fabric of Family, Freedom and Home.

Elijah’s Pa, Starring Allen Williamson as Eli Paterson, joins the 6th PA Regiment after the British Buck County Light Dragoons (horse soldiers) storm the farmhouse and tragedy ensues.

Starring Drew Youngblood as Elijah Paterson, he follows his father, a soldier in General George Washington’s Army, along with 2000 women, children and men, marching up to 9 miles a day. Elijah’s one prized possession is a tattered game of draughts.

Elijah and Jack – A Revolutionary Tale: An impossible adventure begins when a young boy sneaks out of George Washington’s encampment to find his father, a soldier who does not return from the Battle of Monmouth. Will the game of draughts (checkers) save the young boy’s life and get him home?

Elijah finds himself on seemingly impossible adventures as he encounters famous figures of the American Revolution as he sets out to find his father who goes missing after the 1778 Battle of Monmouth.

Filmmaker Andrea M Clarke shares, “with Freedom in my DNA, we have created an amazing story about a little known part of the founding of our country. While the story is fictional, we have done alot of research to best portray the soldiers and camp follower struggles from Valley Forge leading through the Battle of Monmouth. My hope is for folks to come together, be captivated by the story and leave feeling inspired to learn more about the founding of America, the forgotten heros and honor those who sacrificed for our freedoms.”

The movie is based on the popular Historical Children’s Book, George Washington’s Army and Me, by Award Winning Author and Illustrator Michael Dooling. Screenwriter Rob Child is an Emmy® nominated and multiple award winning writer, director and author with Penguin Random House.

#HistoryMatters Partner David Bruce Smith, Founder of Grateful American Foundation shared “read the screenplay in one sitting. It’s wonderfully visual, filled with suspense, and definitely a story that kids–and adults–will enjoy. Congratulations!”

Clarke’s ancestor Dr. John Clarke was a founder of Rhode Island who wrote and secured the Charter of 1663 which afforded Religious Liberties and Civil Rights to the Colony of Rhode Island 126 years before the United States of America was formed.

She continues “In order to stay true to the Historical characters such as Washington, we will remain an Independent Production and film 100% in Virginia. We have invitation from a major distributor for a wide theatrical release.”

The production company 1663 Media Arts, LLC will donate a portion of film profits to organizations that directly benefit soldiers returning from war. They will seek out Veterans interested in filmmaking with options to join their production.

Clarke shares “Earlier this year, we partnered with The Resilient Band, gifted musicians and Veterans who met at Walter Reed Hospital MusiCorps program during their physical rehabilitation.  I asked them if they would like to write and record a song for the movie. They jumped at the chance to support us and our movie!”

The Cost of Freedom is a modern day rock song with a patriotic beat and haunting undertones. The song will be released soon as a single.

The band members have been Cast as 6th PA Regiment Soldiers in the movie. Nate Kalwicki, lost his leg in Afghanistan; lead vocalist Tim Donley, lost his legs and use of one arm; drummer Juan “Dom” Dominguez, who lost an arm and both legs; and professional musician Greg Loman.

“We are honored to have the guys join our production and found creative ways through a little movie magic to make that happen!” Says Clarke

Elijah and Jack- A Revolutionary Tale – went into Development January 2018. They are now in Preproduction and Funding Phase. They are currently raising funds to shoot a Proof of Concept Trailer in December 2019 / Early January 2020.  A Proof of Concept is more like a short film developed on a very limited budget that’s created to attract a wide audience, financial backers, studios and well known guest stars by showing them what the production team can professionally accomplish.

The biggest obstacle the production has faced is censorship on social media. They remain undeterred and focused to bring their timely story to the big screen Fall of 2020.

The production has a Fiscal Sponsor to offer a tax-deduction to donors. The Proof of Concept Trailer Budget is $21K; the Feature Film Budget is $5.9 million. They are open to discussions with major sponsors and vetted investors.

 

https://fromtheheartproductions.networkforgood.com/projects/50459-feature-films-elijah-and-george-feature-film

 

Drew Youngblood has been cast in the starring role of “Elijah” in the historical drama “Elijah and Jack – A Revolutionary Tale,” produced by 1663 Media Arts, LLC.

Drew is a 10-year-old Atlanta-based actor with the recently co-starring credits, “Stranger Things,” “The Gifted,” “Good Girls,” and the upcoming HBO documentary “Sand Mountain.”

“Elijah and Jack” follows the adventures of a courageous farmboy and his faithful dog as they encounter famous figures of the American Revolution during his search for his father, who has gone missing after the 1778 Battle of Monmouth.

The movie is an adventurous, at-times humorous, heartfelt story steeped in family, freedom and home, with a surprise twist of redemption. According to producer-director-writer Andrea M. Clarke, the film is akin to “Huckleberry Finn meets The Patriot with historical accuracy woven in.”

The independent film is in pre-production and the final funding phase of $5.9 million. The production has fiscal sponsorship and is entertaining major sponsors and investors. Clarke aims to begin filming April of 2020 outside of Richmond, Virginia for a Fall 2020 theatrical release.

Youngblood is represented by Gina Henry of MI Talent Atlanta.
For more information about the film, visit ElijahandJack.com

This past weekend, I had the pleasure to tour the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and the Forgotten Soldier Exhibit.

The Forgotten Soldier Exhibit chronicles the “experiences of African-American soldiers who took part in the American cause for a free and independent nation or took up arms for British forces in hopes of obtaining their own freedom.” It was a humbling experience that left me feeling even more grateful for the sacrifices so many have made in the founding of our country.

The American Revolutionary War was not based on politics, the battle brought people together from all walks of life. “The primary purpose of government, according to the Declaration, was to secure man’s inalienable rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and other values sought were unity and public virtue. These values expressed and reflected the social conditions of early America.”

The realities surrounding the road to freedoms did not come together equally for all at the same time.  I place my hope in that we have learned difficult lessons from the past, and will continue to honor the fact that everyone has the right to be free, live in peace and harmony without fear and without overreaching government interference.

For this Independence Day Holiday, please take pause to learn more about the founding of the United States of America and to honor all of our Forgotten Soldiers.

Happy 4th of July Everyone,

Andrea M Clarke, Producer – http://ElijahandGeorge.com

Follow the adventures of Elijah, a young camp follower as he encounters famous figures of the American Revolution on his search for his father who has gone missing after the 1778 Battle of Monmouth. Described by its creators as Huckleberry Finn meets The Patriot, the movie is an adventurous, at-time humorous, heartfelt story steeped in Family, Freedom, Home and Redemption!

 

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