Footsteps of My Father

Friday, June 8 - Thursday, June 14, 2018

“Footsteps of My Father” uncovers an act of extraordinary courage by Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, a devout Christian from Tennessee who risked his own life to save the lives of 200 Jewish G.I.s when they were prisoners of the Germans in WWII.

This act of bravery would have been forgotten and lost to history, had it not been for the rediscovery of Edmonds’ private diary, by his son, Chris Edmonds, a Tennessee pastor, and a chance encounter with one of the surviving Jewish American P.O.W.s.

Pastor Chris Edmonds sets out to follow the footsteps of his father, discovering the truth about the brutality inflicted on captured Jewish American G.I.s, and searching for the men, and their families, who he saved.

Roddie Edmonds passed away before knowing the enormous impact of his bravery, and before knowing he would be the only American soldier ever recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.

Edmonds never spoke of his heroism to anyone. Now, through his own words, written in his own hand, his voice can be heard.

Official Selection: Portland Jewish Film Festival 2018

• Country USA/Belgium/Germany
• Language English
• Running Time 39 minutes
• Director Paul Allman
• Producer The Jewish Foundation For the Righteous
• Editor Paul Allman
• Cinematographer Petr Cikhart
• Cast Ted Koppel (narrator)

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.