“ Why we dream ” wwii doc tells

Sometimes a flight means more than simple transport from one person from one city to another.

“Why we dream”, a feature film documentary that is now planning to the Tribeca Film Festival, tells the moving story of The Normandy Legacy Flight, a program that brings the veterans of the Second World War to Normandy, in France, to commemorate D -Day, one of the most bloody battles in human history and to pay tribute to the huge sacrifices Freedom. The program is administered by the Best Defense Foundation for non -profit focused on veterans in partnership with Delta and Michelin.

For director Meredith Danluck, the experience of knowing some of the last survivors of the surviving nation wwwii changed life.

“It was a powerful and powerful experience to make this film,” said Danluck Variety. “To spend the last years with veterans and hearing their stories, this has changed my perspective on the value of democracy, the importance of the community and service and humility – these values ​​that have really disappeared from our cultural conversation and our culture as a whole.”

“Why We Dream” was produced by Pulse Films and Delta Air Lines. Delta has facilitated flights to Normandy since the start of the program in 2022, and the airline has helped finance the documentary. Casey Engelhardt and Matthew Shattuck by Danluck and Pulse produced the film with Drake Springer from Delta’s creative studio. Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg composed the scoring.

“We believe in the power of narration to connect people through generations, through cultures and in time,” said Alicia Tillman, Delta Marketing Director. “The 500,000 people who get on our plane every day have a story, it is a unique space that we can claim. Reclaiming these stories establishes real emotional links with our customers, presenting the power of their trips that we have the capacity to support.

Tillman added that Delta’s participation in the Legacy Normandy flight program has a meaning for company employees.

“With 11% of our workforce made up of veterans, our commitment to those who serve is in depth-and we are therefore particularly proud to ensure that the stories of these heroes of the Second World War, who have changed the course of history for the best, are never forgotten and can inspire the generations to come,” she said.

Danluck, whose previous credits include the 2018 drama “State Like Sleep”, arrived at “Why We Dream” after working with Pulse Films on other projects. The personal stories of the eight veterans – seven men and a woman – are told in a way that sheds light on the way the world has been changed forever by war. The reflections of the second lieutenant Betty L. Huffman-Rosevear, 104, which was parked in the Pacific as part of the body of the army of the army, serves as a key anchor of the film.

The doc’s objective extended after Huffman-Rosevear made a casual comment in Danluck during an interview.

“Betty said something that really triggered for me, which was:” I often think of the people I used with and I wonder what they have done with their lives. ” And it was at this point that he clicked: it was a story not only on a trip to Normandy, but really on what this experience of being in war has done for them as a person, and how she shaped their lives and essentially shaped America in the 20th century, “said Danluck.

The Legacy flight in Normandy in 2025 took off from Atlanta on June 1 and will return on June 9, after ceremonies to mark the anniversary of June 6 from the start of the amphibious landing led by the general and the future president Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Danluck has shot many images during last year’s event marked the 80th anniversary of day D. Being in Normandy and adult areas with serial workers in the World War II was preparing to walk with the biggest rock stars in the world, Danluck said. The film represents scenes of local residents of all ages stifling the veterans in wheelchair with hugs and kisses and cries of “thank you”.

The lasting impact of the Nazi occupation of France was something that deeply touched Danluck while making the film.

“As we had, we became more aware that France was occupied for almost five years. For these people to feel the weight of this oppression, then the liberation-it was really deep,” she said. “It was also a revelation to be in France and see how children understood this story differently and have this level of gratitude.”

UTA works with Pulse and Delta to buy the 90 -minute film in the hope of getting a theatrical version.

“We made this film because we feel a deep sense of responsibility towards these veterans and their inheritance, which for us meant more than providing them with an annual flight to Normandy. We want our narration to be authentic, but also unexpected, in a way that could surprise people from an airline,” said Springer. “These stories deserved nothing less.”