The Gettysburg Film Festival returns May 8-11, 2025, bringing together renowned
filmmakers, actors, historians, and authors to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in
Europe (V-E) Day. The festival will be headlined by Ken Burns, the award-winning documentarian
behind The Civil War, Baseball, The War, The U.S. and the Holocaust, and the upcoming The
American Revolution (Fall 2025), who will lead a special discussion on WWII’s lasting impact.
This year’s lineup features Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now, The West Wing), Anna Deavere Smith
(Notes from the Field, The American President), Susan Eisenhower, national security expert, author,
and granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Stephen Lang (Avatar, Gettysburg).
Best-selling author Robert Edsel (The Monuments Men, Remember Us) and screenwriter John
Orloff (Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air) will also headline discussions, alongside actors
Matthew Leitch and Mark Lawrence (Band of Brothers), with military historians and authors
Craig Symonds, Jeff Shaara, Kevin Hymel, Harold Holzer, and Michel Paradis.
Additionally, Sarah Burns and David McMahon, longtime collaborators of Ken Burns and the
creative force behind The Central Park Five, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Leonardo da
Vinci, will join this year’s festival lineup.
The festival will feature exclusive screenings of WWII classics, including Saving Private Ryan, The
Monuments Men, and Band of Brothers, along with panels on the war’s legacy, storytelling, and
cultural preservation. Notable guest moderators include Garry Adelman and Kris White of the
American Battlefield Trust, and leading YouTube historians J.D. Huitt and Erik Dorr (The History
Underground), Chris Mowery (Vlogging Through History), and Jared Frederick (Reel History).
Held in Gettysburg, where President Lincoln redefined democracy and President Eisenhower found
his post-war home, the festival will celebrate stories of courage, sacrifice, and resilience. Attendees
will also have the opportunity to explore nationally acclaimed exhibits at Gettysburg’s new Beyond
the Battle Museum, visit the Eisenhower National Historic Site, and see incredible WWII collections
at the Gettysburg Museum of History and the WWII American Experience Museum.
Tickets and information are available now at gettysburgfilmfestival.org. For media inquiries,
contact info@gettysburgfilmfestival.org. The Gettysburg Film Festival is hosted by the Adams
County Historical Society and Gettysburg College with support from the American Battlefield Trust,
The Better Angels Society, the Gettysburg Foundation, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Society, the
Gettysburg Museum of History, the WWII American Experience, and the Gettysburg Film
Commission.
About the Gettysburg Film Festival: The Gettysburg Film Festival showcases American history on
screen, from documentaries to feature films and emerging media. Launched and inspired by Ken
Burns and his award-winning craft, the festival aims to bring Americans together in a shared
appreciation of our history and the stories that make us who we are.