SALT LAKE CITY -- Sundance filmmaker nominated for an Oscar came to the FOX 13 News studio to talk about his short film, “Day One.”
Decorated platoon leader Henry Hughes or Hank, wrote and directed “Day One,” a fictional story based on his own experiences in a dangerous outpost in Afghanistan.
During his second tour of combat in Afghanistan, Hughes had a female interpreter who was a Muslim-American. He said she was invaluable because the American soldiers couldn't communicate without her.
Their first day together the two took on small-arms fire. They held hands while running so they wouldn't be separated. After that they had to find a way to stay connected.
“I needed her by me all the time. She’s integral to what we do. So I strapped a dog’s leash on the back of my armor and she held the other end it's like an umbilical cord,” Hughes said.
Hughes’ ability to convey an emotional experience beyond explaining it has garnered him an Oscar short film nomination.
"Day One" have just been released and is in local theaters.
