Baker Boys: Inside the Surge

Baker Boys: Inside the Surge, is a 2010 four-part documentary series following the soldiers of Baker Company, Task Force 1-15 Infantry, 3d Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, during their deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom at Combat Outpost Carver during the troop surge of 2007.

Overview

The series provides an intimate view of soldiers on the front lines during the Surge of coalition troops in Iraq. When veteran war cameraman Jon Steele embedded with Baker Company in February, 2008, he came with no media affiliation or assignment from the news desk... only to ask the soldiers "What do you think?" and "How do you feel?" Over the next 90 days, he filmed everything they did and said from sun up to sundown. With startling access, the film documents what a counter-insurgency looks like up close and personal, as the "Surge" transforms the art of war into the "art of the deal".^[2] Along with footage from ground and air combat missions, the film focused around interviews with individual members of Baker Company.^[3]

"This documentary series is extremely powerful," said Mark Cuban, chairman and co-founder of HDNet. "Our viewers will be deeply moved by these soldiers and the stories that they tell us in their own words. We're proud to be a part of this project and to present our viewers with this inside look at life in Iraq."^[4][5]

This 4-part miniseries was directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Kern Konwiser and presented in association with Gigapix Studios, PointProd, Sandbag Productions.^[3]

Premieres

Baker Boys: Inside the Surge was first aired on January 4, 2010, in four 1 hour segments every Monday, on HDNet. The series was released for screening on April 23, 2010 at the Newport Beach Film Festival. On January 4, 2011, Baker Boys was released on DVD, initially exclusive through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). The National Infantry Museum will be hosting a film premiere event for the Fort Benning community, home of the 1-15 Infantry featured in the film, by screening Baker Boys: Inside the Surge in its IMAX theatre on January 19 & 20, 2011. Following the screenings, there will be an open Q&A with journalist Jon Steele, director Kern Konwiser, and several members of Baker Company who are now stationed at Fort Benning, including Baker Company's former commander, MAJ Rich Thompson. This event was made possible through the collaborative efforts of Kern Konwiser and Richard Hagan, event's coordinator of the National Infantry Museum.^{[2][6][7][8][9]}

Awards

Baker Boys: Inside the Surge has won awards at every festival in which it has been played,^[2] including:

References

External links

• Baker Boys: Inside the Surge official website
• Baker Boys: Inside the Surge at the Internet Movie Database
• Baker Boys: Inside the Surge at AllMovie
• Baker Boys: Inside the Surge's channel on YouTube