Vietnam Vet's daughter-director uses film to highlight PTSD

Canton director uses film to highlight PTSD
by Laura Braddick
lbraddick@cherokeetribune.com
February 24, 2011 12:00 AM

Canton resident Leslie Lugosi is using her passion for filmmaking to call attention to a national issue.

The self-taught director and writer has been making short movies for five years with her film company BootyTooth Productions.

Her newest work entitled "Listen" follows a Vietnam War veteran who begins to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder episodes after an accident several years since his military service.

"It's based on a short story I wrote," Ms. Lugosi said. "My intent was to help people understand PTSD and help those who are suffering from it."

The Atlanta native said she tries to make films that have a positive impact on people and focus on issues important to her.

"My father served in Vietnam, and he was adversely affected by the war," she said. "It's always been a subject very dear to my heart, and it's something we're still experiencing today with soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq."

The movie, which has not yet been publicly released, was filmed entirely in Cherokee County.

With the help of Master Sgt. Gerald Edwards, a Vietnam veteran who served as military advisor for the film, Ms. Lugosi made the backwoods of Canton look like the jungle wilderness of Vietnam.


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Canton director uses film to highlight PTSD