Soul Patrol
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
media release: USA | 2026 | DCP| 100 mins.
Director: J.M. Harper
Join the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Cinematheque for a free screening and conversation on October 29 centered on the story of the Vietnam War's first all-Black Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit.
As a teenager, Ed Emanuel enlisted in the U.S. Army. In Vietnam, he found himself questioning what it meant to fight for freedom abroad while Black Americans were still struggling for equality at home. Decades later, he brought that question (among many others) to the men who served beside him.
On Thursday, October 29, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum joins the UW-Madison Cinematheque and UW-Madison African-American Studies to present the award-winning documentary Soul Patrol. In the film, Emanuel reunites the surviving members of Company F, the first all-Black Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit of the Vietnam War. Their story comes to life through intimate conversations, personal archives, and rare Super 8 footage. It explores brotherhood, identity, and the search for healing long after a war ends.
Stay after the film for an in-person discussion with journalist and war correspondent Jesse Lewis and Soul Patrol filmmaker J.M. Harper, who won the U.S. Documentary Competition Directing Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Admission is free, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times.
The Premieres series continues with more early and exclusive looks at the very best in current arthouse cinema—on the big screen where they belong! This spring kicks off with the anticipated return of a leading light of 21st century independent cinema—director Joe Swanberg, who will join us in person for his new film, The Sun Never Sets. In October, director J.M. Harper and journalist Jesse Lewis will appear to discuss the fascinating new documentary Soul Patrol. Additional highlights include the winner of the2026 Palme d’Or (Fjord), a documentary 50 years in the making (Once Upon a Time in Harlem), and two daring new indies screening on 35mm film (Rose of Nevada and The Misconceived). This series was made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous cinephile.
