AnnWar Productions

01/14/2024

Honored to have Privileged Deceit named as a semi-finalist at this year's Sedona International Film Festival - We are humbled to have made it this far at such a prestigious festival.

We will start releasing "teasers" from our upcoming documentary on this story in a month or two. We are so appreciative of all our interviewees and are excited to say that post-production is moving along - SLOWLY - BUT - It is moving along.

We are hoping to be able to release the documentary this summer.

12/07/2023

Today, please take a moment to Remember, Honor, and Understand one of the most significant days in American history - The attack on Pearl Harbor that began the
US involvement in World War II.

AnnWar productions is proud to have played a role in bringing the world the story of the last USS Arizona survivor, Lou Conter. Lou’s incredible story, which goes beyond the attack on Pearl Harbor should be a must read for every American. A true hero, Lou’s love of country is an inspiration to all who meet this awesome man!

We are also proud to have told the story of the USS Arizona Band. “A Band to Honor” captures the previously little known story of the Arizona Band and tells their heartwarming and heartbreaking time together before the attack on Pearl Harbor!

Thanks to the EPIC soundtrack created by the amazingly talented and Emmy Award nominated Holly Amber Church, A Band to Honor creates a moving tribute to these young men who along with 1156 of their shipmates on December 7, 1941.

12/01/2023

Even though we are only a few weeks into our 2024 submission season, we are super excited that the 2024 Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival already has submissions from Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon, Spain, The Islamic Republic of Iran, the United Kingdom, and of course, the United States.

11/12/2023

We concluded the 2023 Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival last night, and we wanted to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to Annette DeJong Hull - Annette handles the bulk of the festival and does an amazing job serving as the Festival Director. She kicks ass every year and is our festival's unsung hero.

Next year, the festival will be in its ninth year, and it has grown into one of the top virtual festivals in the world. So proud of where this festival has come under Annette's guidance. She has pulled together a winning team for our advisory board, our judging panel, and our selection committee.

Proud of her and proud to be one of our viewing platforms (Eventives) Top 20 - HOT CHANNELS!

Thanks to all our participants and partners, especially our Written Word sponsor - InkTip, our awesome advisory board members - Michelle Muldoon, Lee Chambers, Carlo Essagian, and Jason Lor, our film and screenplay judging panels, our film selection committee, and our Young Story Tellers Award sponsors - Harold L. Brown and Jane Keller - You folks are amazing. It was a great week

09/13/2023

Congratulations Lou Conter on reaching such an amazing milestone! You have lived an amazing life and we are so grateful that we have you as part of ours. You have set a wonderful example for us all. Wishing you a very happy 102nd Birthday!

09/06/2023

Help USS Arizona Survivor Lou Conter celebrate his 102nd birthday on September 13, 2023! 🎂 🎊 🎁

You are invited to send your birthday wishes to Lou in care of The Union newspaper. Email them to [email protected] with “Birthday Wish” in the subject line. You can also send it via USPS to The Union, 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley, CA, 95945. Be sure to send your wishes by the Sept 11 deadline. Lou reads The Union every morning and will see the birthday wishes in the Sept 13th edition: https://www.theunion.com/news/lorraine-s-lowdown/article_ad977ed2-491c-11ee-b4f5-a733f7f7422a.html

It’s a Secret — and You’re in on It! Lou Conter will celebrate his 102nd birthday September 13, and you are invited to send birthday wishes to the World War

07/12/2023

When we were seeking a composer for our documentary film on the USS Arizona Band (A Band to Honor) we were blessed to have Holly Amber Church come into our lives - We knew within 5 minutes of meeting Holly that she was a special person - Then - After Holly shared the music she had composed for A Band to Honor - We knew (after we stopped crying at how beautiful her music was) how special she was as a composer!

NO ONE could have done what Holly did to honor the members of the USS Arizona band - Her vision was amazing! Her music was simply beautiful. Holly’s music told the story of these young musicians (who all perished on December 7, 1941) and gave them the tribute they deserved!

Holly - Congratulations on your Emmy nomination for your work on Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities - We are excited for you beyond words! You rock!!!!

07/09/2023

We want to give the good folks at the Crime/Mystery Film & Writing Festival a big thank you for selecting Privileged Deceit for a reading - It's kinda cool to hear someone give a table read of our project. They performed the first 5 pages of the script and did a great job - If you want to catch a sneak peek - - Check it out:

https://crimemysteryfestival.com/2023/07/09/crime-mystery-festival-privileged-deceit-by-annette-c-hull-warren-r-hull/

BTW - The story just keeps getting better and better - Hoping for some more news to share shortly - STAY TUNED - The journey continues!

By using a series of relationships with corrupt politicians, crooked cops, notorious gangsters and powerful businessmen, Gaynell Moretta and Archie MacDonald rise to the pinnacle of Southern Califo…

06/25/2023

The late deadline for submissions is approaching in 6 DAYS. Submit your projects--we want to see the talent and creativity of all filmmakers and screenwriters!

https://filmfreeway.com/LasVegasInternationalFilmandScreenwritingContest

… See more

06/20/2023

76 years ago today, the lives of many members of Warren’s family were forever changed when one of the members of the family, Robert MacDonald, murdered gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel.

Three months after the Siegel murder, MacDonald, using the same weapon he used to kill Siegel, murdered his 24 year old wife, Betty Ann Rockwell-MacDonald (who was Warren’s mother’s cousin/best friend and big sister type).

Warren’s mom (Marion) and Betty Ann had grown up together and Marion had known Betty Ann her entire life. As you can imagine, Betty Ann’s death impacted Marion for the rest of her life (as well as many others).

The Siegel murder is still considered an unsolved murdered. However, we keep finding more and more evidence that supports our theory and are working to arrange a meeting with the Beverly Hills Police Department so we can present to their “current administration” what several attorneys, and former DAs have called “OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE” that supports our theory on, not just who murdered Siegel, but why the murder was never solved.

It’s a fascinating tale, but at the same time, as I said earlier, an event that had a very tragic impact on a great many people.

Privileged Deceit
Luellen Smiley
Beverly Hills Police Department

05/27/2023

This Memorial Day weekend, we encourage you to take a moment and reflect on why we have Memorial Day - This is a time to honor those that have lost their lives to protect the freedoms all Americans enjoy - The men and women we honor on this day made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their country.

One reason AnnWar Productions produced our documentary film (A Band to Honor) and why Holly Amber Church composed such a beautiful score - Was to honor the 1177 souls (including 21 bandsmen) who perished at the start of World War II aboard the USS Arizona when the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl, Hawaii.

If have not seen A Band to Honor yet - You can watch it free of charge on VUDU - Thank you Vudu.

For those of you who don’t know what A Band to Honor is about - Here is our logline:

A Band to Honor is a documentary that uses a combination of archival footage, photographs, personal interviews, and an original soundtrack to tell the story of the twenty-one young naval musicians who were among the 1,177 members of the USS Arizona who lost their lives when the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

05/13/2023

New cover is so significant - Such a historical moment in time. We are so proud to have helped Lou ensure his story was shared with all. We must work to preserve stories like Lou’s or they will soon slip away with the passage of time.

The Lou Conter Story: From USS Arizona Survivor to Unsung American Hero

04/21/2023

So sorry to hear that USS Arizona survivor Ken Potts has passed away. Our hearts and prayers are with Ken and his family.

Fair Winds and Following Seas Mr. Potts - You are a true hero!!!

03/03/2023

Honored to have Privileged Deceit take top honors in two categories at the LA Film Awards- We are excited to begin our marketing push for this amazing story!

11/22/2022

One of the joys of doing what we do - Write and bring stories to life - Is when a video like this is brought to you attention!!

Adorable and incredibly satisfying.

https://www.facebook.com/PacificParks/videos/448461184123953/

04/10/2022

Busy weekend for Team Hull - Today we had the absolute honor of meeting and interviewing Mary Seau for our Mike Webster documentary - A Man in the Middle - Mary is helping educate people on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and is raising awareness on this horrible disease through the Mary Seau CTE Foundation!

Aside from her great contributions in the field of CTE education, Mary is one of the sweetest souls we have ever met. So kind and caring. In a matter of a few hours, we came to consider Mary a part of our OHANA (family).

Mahalo, Mary for sharing your story.

04/10/2022

Okay - We have to say - J Michael Niotta, the great grandson of Los Angeles crime boss Jack Dragna, was an amazing way for us to kick off our interviews for Privileged Deceit - WOW - Dr. Niotta was spectacular - If you are interested in learning more about LA mob, go to his website and you will have access to a wealth of information.

https://www.jmichaelniotta.com

04/07/2022

We cannot begin to tell everyone how excited we are to FINALLY be kicking off our interviews for Privileged Deceit (Family Secret). It has been a LONG TIME coming. This weekend, we will have the honor of interviewing Dr. J. Michael Niotta, a true-crime journalist, historian, author of several books, and, in our opinion, the leading subject matter expert on early L.A. organized crime. As the eldest great-grandson of Los Angeles Don Jack Dragna, J. Michael has done a great deal to dispel some of the false narratives that have been created over the years by Hollywood. If you get a chance, check out his website at: https://www.jmichaelniotta.com

04/02/2022

There are times when you are researching a story and you stumble upon something that allows you to think to yourself - Wow - This just added an entire episode to that mini-series plotline - ha ha ha - For those of you familiar with our Privileged Deceit story (AKA - The Bugsy Siegel Murder) - I always had heard the rumor that my great uncle was a bit of a trouble maker but little did I know that he was committed to the Preston School of Industry - REFORM SCHOOL - As a kid - AND THE LA TIMES - Shared his bad behavior with the world - ha ha ha - OH THIS JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER!!!!

Hey -





Do we have a story for you!!!! See you in November at American Film Market for our pitch!!!!

03/28/2022

While we can all agree that the lost months of COVID-19 were a bit of a bummer, and each one of us had to work through our share of difficulties, one thing is certain, most of us are super excited for what the future holds - EXCEPT FOR GAS PRICES - Almost $6.00 a gallon in VEGAS - WTH????

Annette DeJong Hull and I are so pleased to let everyone know that we will have THREE documentary films ready for distribution by the end of 2022. First up - The Lou Conter Story - We have been waiting on clearances and copyrights, and we've had to do some hoop-jumping, but we are close to pushing out Lou's much-awaited documentary - Expect a late spring release. We will keep you posted.

We will also be cranking out some incredible interviews for our Mike Webster story, which will tell the TRUE tale of this Pittsburgh Steeler great and his heroic battle with the disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). We are in the process of locking in some equally impressive interviews for Privileged Deceit (aka - Family Secret), which will explore the seedy side of the City of Angels (Los Angeles) with a storyline that will take you into the world of LA mobsters (the real ones - Not the ones you see on film), corrupt local, state and national politicians, crooked cops, Hollywood stars, Howard Hughes and much, much more.

Finally, we know 2022, and these projects will be even more incredible than we had hoped because the very talented composer - Holly Amber Church - Has agreed to return to the team and lend us her musical talents - We are so blessed.

Stay tuned for more information and clips (and reveals) of who we interview to help us tell these fascinating tales.
Have a great night, everyone!!!!

03/15/2022

The Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival is proud to announce that Michelle Muldoon has graciously accepted a position on our advisory board.

Michelle is a dual national writer/director (Canada and the U.K.) who calls Vancouver, British Columbia home. Michelle makes content inspired by the films she grew up watching with her father on snowy Sundays. She loves genre and action films and focuses on telling stories from a female view.

Writing was Michelle’s first love in film, but once she made her first short film, there was no turning back from Directing. It was the perfect replacement for her first passion in life, volleyball. As a nationally certified coach, Michelle graduated sixteen players onto university teams across North America. She uses her skillset in planning, strategizing, and communication every day she’s on set.

Michelle has made six short-form projects, as well as produced the independent feature film Puppet Killer, which hit the festival circuit in 2019. After the successful festival run, the film had a limited release with Regal Cinemas.

Michelle’s last project, the Western concept film Last Stand to Nowhere, screened at twenty-seven festivals in seven countries, including the exclusive 2019 Almeria Western Film Festival, where Michelle was the sole female Director. The film spent the summer of 2019 exhibiting in the Museum of the Southwest alongside the work of artist Felice House.

As a Board Member of Women in Film and Television Vancouver (WIFTV), Michelle created the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival Screenplay Competition, and after three years of teaching the Introductory Screenwriting Workshop for Raindance Vancouver, she now teaches an online program.

In 2019 Michelle Muldoon was named one of eight female directors accepted into the Women in the Director’s Chair Story and Leadership Program and, in 2020, was a part of the Women in Focus Mentorship Program at the Whistler Film Festival.

03/08/2022

Hey everyone - We are happy to announce the addition of Jason Lor to the Advisory Board of the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival. Welcome aboard Jason - It is great to have you with us.

Before graduating from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in Cinema, Jason had already started writing when he was in the 3rd Grade in Elementary school. He wrote about his days and adventures in his journals, whether with his friends or family. Soon enough, he decided to get creative and make stories out of those everyday adventures but from a different point of view. A creative point of view. Thus started his goal of becoming a writer for novels. This soon changes when he comes to realize how much he loved movies. The characters and worlds coming to life on the big screen fascinated him, and that is what he truly wanted with his stories. Thus began a new chapter in his writing journey, which is to become a writer and a Screenwriter. He continues to write and has never stopped.
​
Jason grew up when Screenwriting software like Final Cut Pro or Screenwriting classes were not available around his hometown of Chico. That, however, did not stop him from pursuing his passion. He would go to the bookstore every weekend searching for Screenplay textbooks and study as much as he could on how a screenplay should be written.

Jason finally moved to San Francisco, where he could finally attend San Francisco State University’s film program and learn what he needed to know about filmmaking along with his screenwriting. After three years of studying film, Jason graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Cinema.

Afterward, Jason continued to pursue screenwriting as well as filmmaking.

03/01/2022

Hey everyone –

As we enter our seventh season of the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival, one of our goals is to make this year’s 2022 festival bigger and better than it has ever been.

We have some great stuff coming, including a new and improved website with links to our festival archives and a page dedicated to our fantastic festival seminars from the past two years. These seminars are full of information from industry professionals on various topics designed to help writers, actors, composers, and producers improve their craft.

In the coming weeks, we will be announcing some new and exciting partnerships, and we will reveal a new program for young writers and young filmmakers that we think people will truly enjoy.

If you get a chance, swing by our new Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival website www.lvifsf.com and check out our new look.

We hope you follow our journey by joining our page at Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival.

Our mission with AnnWar Productions and with the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival is to create a filmmaking family or “OHANA” where the vibe is always warm, welcoming, and supportive of those seeking to improve themselves as writers and filmmakers.

We are now accepting submissions for our 2022 Las Vegas Film and Screenwriting Festival via film freeway.

02/26/2022

Annette DeJong Hull and Warren Hull are pleased to be heading to Tucson, Arizona in March where we will be promoting our book about USS Arizona survivor Lou Conter at the Tucson Festival of Books. The event takes place at The University of Arizona!

The Hulls want to thank their publisher Wheatmark publishing for giving them the opportunity to attend such a cool event.

PS - Lou turned 100 years old in September and is still going strong. He has a goal to return to Hawaii in December for the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

02/22/2022

Our AnnWar Productions family was crushed this morning to learn of the passing of Pat Thompson who we had met during the filming of our documentary film on the USS Arizona Band - A Band to Honor - Pat had a great segment in our film where she talked of her competing in (and winning ) the jitterbug competition at an event called “The Battle of Music” which was held on December 6, 1941 - The night before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

We had just spoken to Pat a few weeks ago. We talked about her trip back to Hawaii and her visit to the USS Arizona this past December where she had the opportunity to meet up with another of our Band to Honor alumni - 103 year old Frank Emond - Pat was so tickled to meet Frank for they had a common bond - They were both at the Battle of Music!!!

We feel blessed we were able catch up - We were even in the process of making plans with Pat (and Amanda Carona Thompson who is one of Pat’s dear friends and is the person who introduced us to Pat) to get together for brunch in April during a trip we will be making to San Diego.

We are so very honored to have been able to share a “very small” piece of her life in A Band to Honor!

We will miss you Pat and are grateful to call you our friend - You will be missed!

01/15/2022

We are extremely excited to have been named an official selection for our Native American-themed screenplay Valley of Spirits - Once we complete our documentary slate (We have three in the works - One in pre-production - one in production, and one in post-production), our next goal will be to bring our first indie FILM to life and we think Valley of Spirits will be the perfect project for us to start with as we jump into the feature film business.

We enjoy testing the waters to see how Valley is received by film festivals around the world, and we think the Beaufort International Film Festival - which is run by Rebecca Hood Tucker and Ron Tucker has one of the best festivals out there - So we feel pretty good about being selected by this group - Thank you, Beaufort International Film Festival - We are honored to be a part of your festival.

12/19/2021

Need a last-minute gift idea?

Here is a great convenient and easy digital gift card which can be delivered instantly by email (or when you want).

Although you are not able to specifically purchase “A Band to Honor” for that someone special, you are able to add a personal message to the gift card to suggest watching this incredible story.

www.vudu.com/gift-cards

12/16/2021

Warren and Annette Hull were so honored to have been interviewed by Dr. James Rodgers of the Warfare Podcast. They continue keeping these important stories of history alive.

12/14/2021

Need a gift idea for the holidays? The Lou Conter Story is the answer. Buy it on Amazon today.

https://www.amazon.com/Lou-Conter-Story-Survivor-American/dp/1627878599

12/07/2021

We wanted to give Heather Mills of 8 News Now a big thank you for doing such a great job sharing "A BAND TO HONOR" with KLAS viewers - For those of you who don't know, A BAND TO HONOR is the story of the USS Arizona Band a group of men that were all killed on December 7, 1941 - Thank you, Heather, for your commitment to ensuring people will always remember stories such as the one of the USS Arizona Band - We are proud of our contribution to help preserve the legacy of stories such as these! We must always Remember - Understand - Honor the lives of the men and women of our armed forces.

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-filmmakers-highlight-little-known-story-of-uss-arizonas-band/

Las Vegas filmmakers highlight little-known story of USS Arizona’s band