Posted in: Movies | Tagged: daniel krug, Justin Zimmerman, kickstarter, soldier

Daniel Krug – What If The Real Enemy Was Inside All Along?

Published Wed, 31 Mar 2021 18:15:57 -0500

Justin Zimmerman writes for Bleeding Cool as a creator in both the film and comic worlds. Now he is working with Daniel Krug and talking about PTSD.

If you know my name, it's most likely due to my creator-owned graphic novels, like The 27 Run: Crush or The Killing Jar. But who would have believed that the most important superhero story I'd be dying to tell would be real?

Daniel Krug - What If The Real Enemy Was Inside All Along? — Images of Soldier, courtesy of Justin Zimmerman

The campaign for my newest film is currently live at SoldierDocumentary.com. Soldier is about Daniel Krug. He's a heroic firefighter, father of five, SWAT trainer, amateur MMA champion, and armored combat enthusiast. Daniel is also a former military sniper with combat, security, rescue, and recovery experience in the middle east and Tibet. Frankly, Daniel is as close to a superhero as there is.

But, as Daniel says in the Kickstarter introduction, Soldier is about much more than him. In the past 8 years, he's lost 9 of his close friends to suicide. And that's the reason he's partnered with me to tell his story. Daniel is a PTSD survivor, and that's what makes his story so important. In the comic world – heck, in the world, period – the idea of trauma and PTSD is regarded as a weakness. As something to be hidden away, even a personal shame. And rarely, if ever, acknowledged.

Soldier's going to tackle that head-on. Through interviews, intense b-roll, and thousands of pictures and archival clips, the film will follow Daniel's journey from the beginning to… now. And I'll be looking at his personal battles through the lenses of strength, transparency, and triumph. Because no one is invulnerable, and fighting against insurmountable odds is what makes a true hero—a chance to be brave.

The campaign features three short pieces I directed and edited with an amazing team over the past quarter of a year. I invite you to watch them all. The Intro sets the stakes; Septic showcases how interviews will feel, and Fight illustrates how b-roll will throw you into the heart of the action. Between all three, you'll know what I want to do and how I want to do it. And I hope you'll help me bring this true superhero story to life.

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