The GI Film Festival Team
GIFF Advisory Committee | About Us | Founder’s Message
Brandon L. Millett
Brandon L. Millett is co-founder and president of the GI Film Festival, a non-profit organization launched in 2007 to honor the American Armed Forces through the medium of film.
The award-winning GI Film Festival is the first and only film festival in the country dedicated to honoring the American warrior. As the GI Film Festival’s chief spokesperson, Mr. Millett is a regular commentator on television and talk radio programs on the subject of the relationship between Hollywood and the military.
As a communications consultant and media professional, Mr. Millett has worked with a variety of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit start-ups. His media campaigns have earned coverage from virtually every major news outlet worldwide, including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, to name just a few.
Mr. Millett holds a master’s degree in psychology and a bachelor’s degree in business. He currently resides in Arlington , Virginia with his wife, Laura, who is a graduate of West Point and a veteran of the U.S. Army and Army Reserves where she earned the rank of Major, and daughter.
Laura Law
Laura Law-Millett is a successful entrepreneur and the Chief Operations Officer at Constant Motion Entertainment, a full service entertainment company located in Alexandria, Virginia.
Laura is also the co-founder of the GI Film Festival which is currently in it’s 6th year of operations. The GI Film Festival is a non-profit organization and is the nation’s only military film festival. The mission of the festival is to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform through the medium of film.
Films screened by the GI Film Festival have gone on to win Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and air on Showtime, HBO, and the Military Channel as well as gain DVD distribution deals. In 2009, The GI Film Festival was awarded the coveted American Legion National Commander’s PR award. Previous award recipients include Lou Dobbs, Tim Russert and former MPAA Chairman Jack Valenti, among other media moguls.
Laura has also served the nation for over 18 years as an Army Officer in the US Army and US Army Reserves serving in Korea, Turkey, Bosnia, Germany, Colorado, Maryland and Virginia where she earned many distinguished awards. From 2006-2008 Laura was selected to be the subject of a national recruitment media campaign for the US Army reserve.
Laura also has a career in volunteering at Girls State and with Junior Achievement. She served on Congressman Tom Davis’ staff in Virginia to help nominate candidates for the military academies. She also created and teaches a leadership class for at-risk high school girls. Laura’s organization Not Too Young to Care brings awareness on ending sex trafficking. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering and English Literature from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Stephen K. Bannon
A former Goldman Sachs investment banker Mr. Bannon is currently the Chairman of the Board of several publicly-traded and privately-held companies in the entertainment and media industry.
Mr. Bannon is an award winning filmmaker of such critically acclaimed movies as “In The Face of Evil”; “The Last 600 Meters” and “Titus Andronicus”.
Mr. Bannon served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy, with four years of sea duty onboard the destroyer U.S.S. Paul F. Foster (DD964) with the Pacific Fleet. Mr. Bannon served as Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon. Mr. Bannon was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal for service in the Persian Gulf in 1979 and 1980.
Mr. Bannon is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In addition, Mr. Bannon holds a Masters Degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University with honors. In 1985, Mr. Bannon received his MBA from Harvard Business School with honors. Mr. Bannon lives in Laguna Beach , CA and has a daughter attending The United States Military Academy at West Point .
Emily Rogers
This is Emily’s second year working with the GI Film Festival. This year she will be handling the ticketing coordination and military outreach for the festival. Emily’s interest in the festival stems from being part of a family with four generations of military veterans, including her older brother who is currently serving overseas with the 82nd Airborne (so proud!).
After stints of teaching in Michigan and working for a J-1 international exchange program in Washington state, Emily moved to Washington, DC in the Fall of 2009. She has since been working in development for a civil rights / human relations organization in downtown DC.
Originally from the Ann Arbor, Michigan area, Emily received a Bachelor of Science degree in geography with a specialization in spatial information processing (mapping) from Michigan State University. Along with her role in the GI Film Festival, she volunteers with Greater DC Cares and a few other military-focused organizations in the DC area.
Sonia Motlagh
Sonia Motlagh is the Filmmaker Liaison for the GI Film Festival. This will be her fifth year working with the festival, which for her, is the perfect culmination of art with meaningful purpose.
Sonia has lived in the Washington DC Metro area for the past 14 years and has spent 12 years working as a government contractor. She is currently pursuing a career in acting and uses her skills as an actor to support training scenarios that teach communication, cross cultural communication, and pre-deployment skills to members of the military.
Sonia teaches a beginning acting class for adults, as well as, acting for business professionals. She has a degree in Theater from Bethany University, is MBTI Certified, and is an expert in Chuck Norris jokes. Sonia is bi-lingual, speaking both English and Sarcasm fluently.