Browse Films

Patriot Guard Riders takes us on a solemn ride to funerals of young soldiers killed in action.  Our guides are a 200,000-strong  motorcycle group formed to protect grieving families from members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who harass them for allowing their sons and daughters to serve. The riders escort the the fallen soldiers from the airfield to the burial grounds, where they form a protective shield of honor and respect.

The film underscores a tragic truth: Soldiers are dying and their families are suffering. It reveals an unlikely but powerful bond between the riders, the grieving families and the military. Their poignant stories chronicle the emergence of a new kind of patriotism in America, where we honor the troops even if we don't believe in the war.

 

Recommended as a teaching tool for courses in:

Sociology

Law

American Studies

Military Studies

Psychology / Mental Health

War and Peace Studies

Political Science

American History

High Schools

Veterans Affairs

An incredibly powerful film that deeply examines the usually untold legacy of war -- the families of fallen soldiers. Director Frick bravely uncovers these family stories, resulting in a moving story about the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of military veterans and the challenge of the limits of the First Amendment.
Jay Rosenstein, Prof. of Media and Journalism, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana

A fascinating ride through a dark and quirky corner of American culture, where a crew of rough and burly riders confront religious intolerance head on.
Paco de Onis, Producer “Witness to War”,”State of Fear”, and “The Rekoning”

A powerful image of citizens in action, accomplishing within the law what battalions of lawyers and politicians have failed to do in court, which is to support free speech while sending a message about the limits of what is tolerable.
Philip Grey
Military Times

This is the most important documentary of the year. Frick has captured the strong, enduring sentiment of the Patriot Guard Riders, that every fallen soldier is our hero. And every hero deserves our highest respect and dignity.
Mayor Joe Jaworsky, Galveston, TX

"Patriot Guard Riders" tells the story of the relentless wave of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder generated by the brutal legacy of war.
Anna M. Harvey, MD, Psychiatry

AWARDS & SCREENINGS:

• Port Townsend Film Festival
• U.S. Army Posts, Afghanistan and Iraq
• Kuwait
• Virginia Beach, VA
• Mesa, AZ
• Knoxville, TN
• Evansville, Indiana
• Houston, Texas
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Global Peace Film Festival
• Buffalo, NY
• Hot Springs Documentary FIlm Festival
• Louisville Film Festival
• Moody Gardens, Galveston TX
• Kosovo