Oskaloosa Filmmaker Wins Major Iowa Film Festival Award for “Dozier”

William Penn professor Max Leonida’s film tells the true story of a kidnapped U.S. general and was filmed in both Iowa and Italy.

OSKALOOSA — A film created in part in Oskaloosa and produced with the help of William Penn University students recently earned top honors at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival.

“Dozier,” directed by filmmaker and William Penn University professor Max Leonida, won its category during the nationally recognized festival in Dubuque.

The film tells the true story of U.S. Army General James Lee Dozier, who was kidnapped in Italy in 1981 by the Red Brigades, a far-left terrorist organization during a violent period in Italian history.

Leonida, originally from Milan, Italy, said the story held personal meaning because he lived through the unrest as a child before later serving in the Italian military and eventually moving to the United States.

Now living in Oskaloosa, Leonida serves as a film artist in residence at William Penn University and helped involve students directly in the production. Some students traveled to Italy during filming, while others helped construct sets and assist with production work in Iowa.

Large portions of the film were produced in Oskaloosa with support from the local community, including William Penn University, local law enforcement, businesses, and residents.

Leonida said the response at the Dubuque festival was emotional, especially after members of General Dozier’s family praised the film following its premiere.

The project has not yet received a full public release as Leonida and his production team continue working through distribution agreements. Current plans could place the film’s official release later this year near the anniversary of Dozier’s kidnapping in December 1981.

Leonida said one of the goals of the film was to faithfully recreate the real events while also warning about political violence and division.

“We’ve been extremely faithful to the story,” Leonida said during a recent interview with Oskaloosa News.

You can read more by visiting the US Army article by clicking the following link. https://www.army.mil/article/153962/retired_general_recalls_1981_terrorist_kidnapping

You can visit the films IMDB page for more information.