WATERTOWN, NY (September 12, 2023) – On September 15th and 16th, 2023, independent production company Thomega Entertainment Inc., one of North America’s leading producers of documentaries on military themes, will continue filming interviews with veterans and active duty soldiers for the upcoming one-hour documentary, FOR COUNTRY: FIRST IN, LAST OUT. The documentary profiles the experiences and achievements of members of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). Based in Watertown, NY, the two-nation public television station, WPBS-TV, is the presenting broadcaster and distributor of the documentary, appropriate given its location near Fort Drum, N.Y. the home of the 10th Mountain Division.
FILM DESCRIPTION:
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 taking the lives of nearly 3,000 innocent people, the United States embarked on a global war on terror that began by taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan. Elements of 4-31 IN, nicknamed the Polar Bears, from the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, were among the first conventional U.S. forces to engage Al-Qaeda. Over the next 20 years, the Polar Bears deployed multiple times to Afghanistan fighting the Taliban and training the fledging Afghan army. With the signing of the Doha agreement in 2020, the Polar Bears were some of the last conventional forces in Afghanistan, shuttering bases, conducting security missions, and defending the Hamid Karzai International Airport, the final staging point of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
This gripping one-hour documentary will combine compelling raw interviews with soldiers who served and sacrificed in the War on Terror with archival footage and never before seen images from soldiers revealing Key turning points and unforgettable moments in the conflict that became the longest war in U.S. history. The producers have secured official approval from the Public Affairs Office of the Department of Defense.
Once completed, FOR COUNTRY: FIRST IN, LAST OUTÂ will be broadcast across the country on PBS stations and digital content will be made available on WPBS platforms.
Production Financing and a fund-raising campaign is now underway to support the production costs associated with the making of a high caliber, quality documentary, for national and international audiences. For more information, contact Mark Cernero, WPBS-TV Director of Community Support & Corporate Sponsorship at (315) 782-3142 ext. 216 or mcernero@wpbstv.org.
FOR COUNTRY: FIRST IN, LAST OUT is produced and directed by Anthony J. Towstego and written by Jeff Martel. Executive producers include: Anthony Towstego and Phil Doerksen. Director of Photography: Les Owen. The film will be edited by Matt Garand and distributed by Ewest International Distribution Inc.
About Thomega Entertainment Inc.
Thomega Entertainment President Anthony Towstego began his passion for producing award winning programming in 1981 and his original vision has created a brand of high quality, commercial entertainment with lasting national and international market appeal. Thomega’s programming crosses a broad spectrum of film, television and digital genres. Based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Thomega has become one of North America’s leading producers of documentaries about military themes with the Canada Remembers: Our Heroes series and documentary titles. In 2002 Canada Remembers A Veterans Reunion was nominated for the New York Independent Film Festival and an honorary plaque was presented to Thomega from the deputy Prime Minister of Canada.
About WPBS
WPBS is a PBS station serving approximately 650,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario via cable, satellite, Internet (livestream) and over-the-air distribution. WPBS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, inform, and engage its two-nation region with exceptional and trusted content across multiple platforms. Its vision is to be the premier provider of extraordinary public media that instills wonder and curiosity across generations and borders. More information about WPBS, including a full channel listing, is available at wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
