2004 | My Grandfather’s War

In 2004, Phil Gioja was completing his BA at Southern Illinois University in the Cinema and Photography department, and this was his final film as a part of that program. This thirty minute documentary is a snapshot of Phil’s grandfather, who was a teenager in occupied Netherlands during WWII, and immigrated to the United States soon after the war. The film captures a few vivid memories of Phil’s grandfather growing up during the war, as well as a current-day transition from living in a large single-family home to a condominium environment.

This film was shot with Phil’s second video camera, a Canon GL2, in standard definition to mini-DV tape using in-camera audio. It was edited in Final Cut 4 on Phil’s second editing machine, a Power Mac G4, in his first home office located on Center Street, in Seymour, IL.