Breaking Through: The Story of Larry Fivecoats, was written and directed by Colorado fishing guide-turned-filmmaker Scott Thompson. The film shares the story of Larry Fivecoats and the restorative power of fly fishing through the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing program.  The film is currently finishing up its 150 city tour around the United States with the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T).  .

“Larry Fivecoats not only has an important story to tell us about war and the lasting impacts it has had on his life.  He also has a story to tell of personal growth fostered by something that is not in a book, or a clinic, or prescribed by a physician.  It cannot be bought or sold, or properly described in 10 words or less.” Scott Thompson-Writer and Director

Larry Fivecoats served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967. In that time, Larry was involved in over 150 firefights and witnessed very heavy casualties. When he returned from war, he found himself struggling with the lasting symptoms of PTSD and depression, and began to contemplate suicide. Then Larry was introduced to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing

“I hurt so much, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me,” Larry Fivecoats shares in the film, “The program itself has given me the capability, I think, to go fishing on my own. Not isolate, but go fishing. I don’t know if it’s the water, I don’t know if it’s the sound of the water, or the motion of the fly rod, but being able to concentrate on something other than my own thoughts is amazing. It’s so lifting. … The endorphins, I think, kick in in the brain and say, ‘I want more of this. I want more of this feeling.”

Fly fishing is many things to many people.  For most it’s a really fun activity to participate in a few times a year.  For some, it is a career, an escape, and even a lifestyle.  But listen for a while to what it means to Larry Fivecoats and the thousands of other veterans whose lives have been transformed by Project Healing Waters; and you may begin to appreciate the greater purpose we are all called to in life”. – Scott Thompson, Writer & Director

“It’s all there. All the pieces can come together in fly-fishing. Even for individuals who have been to the ends of the earth and have been through hell, there’s still fly-fishing out there.” – Larry Fivecoats, 173rd Airborne Brigade

Angels of Anbar was created with help from The Center for Digital Storytelling. A three-day intensive workshop designed to help people tell a personal story by only using personal pictures, videos, and narration. The class is designed to teach filmmaking skills, team building skills, and to heal invisible wounds.

“I decided to share my personal experience of my 15-month deployment to Ramadi, Iraq. This was a tough story to tell, but felt it was time to get the monkey off my back. Among the violence and chaos, I found spirituality and a new lease on life.” Director Elvis Leon

About the GI Film Festival: 

The GI Film Festival (GIFF), the nation’s premier entertainment enterprise exclusively dedicated to presenting the veteran experience through film, television and special events, today announced its complete lineup for the ninth annual event, running May 18 – 24, 2015 in Washington, D.C. and Fairfax, VA.

Program includes appearances by Sir Ben Kingsley, Gary Sinise, Linda Powell and Dolph Lundgren, along with Premieres of “War Pigs” and “Kajaki. The True Story”

For more information visit: http://giff15.com/

About Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.:

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled military service personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities including education and outings.