“Sons & Daughters of Thunder,” a new film by Mid-America Emmy nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Moline-based Fourth Wall Films, will be showcased by the Over-the-Rhine Film Festival at the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio,

The Fourth Wall Films docudrama is being shown and honored by the Over the Rhine Film Festival at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Thursday, July 8 at 4 p.m. Central time. A Q&A with the filmmakers and others will follow the screening.

The film will receive the Harriet Beecher Stowe “Power of Voice” Award, according to a Fourth Wall release. Viewers can attend the exclusive event virtually by purchasing advance tickets at https://thirdrow.live/otrff .

“Sons & Daughters of Thunder” tells the true story of the nation’s anti-slavery debates in 1834 at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati. The controversial meetings led by abolitionist and firebrand Theodore Weld (Thomas Alan Taylor) were the first to publicly discuss the end of slavery in America. The debates angered Cincinnati residents and Lane Seminary officials who promptly slapped a gag order on the entire student

“Sons and Daughters of Thunder” dramatizes the true story of the 1834 debates over slavery’s abolition, which inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

body. This action was followed by a freedom of speech protest and mass exodus of Lane students to Oberlin College.

A young Harriet Beecher’s (Jessica Taylor) exposure to the debates and Weld’s continuing work to abolish slavery sparked a flame that led her to write her 1852 magnum opus “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The film is based on a play written by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter.

“We are deeply honored that ‘Sons & Daughters of Thunder’ was selected to receive the Harriet Beecher

Tammy and Kelly Rundle own Fourth Wall Films in Moline.

Stowe Power of Voice Award,” said director Kelly Rundle.

“It’s very exciting for the film to screen in the actual location where the true story took place,” said producer Tammy Rundle.

Several scenes for the docudrama were filmed in the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House. The film features locations and acting talent from the Quad-Cities area. Kimberly Kurtenbach was the executive director and casting director on the project, and co-starred in the film as Harriet’s sister, Catherine.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe “Power of Voice” Award is given to a film that uses powerful storytelling as a tool for change, and shines a light on injustice by challenging old ideas to give people a new way of looking at things. The award receipient is selected by representatives of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House.

“Sons & Daughters of Thunder” received three Mid-America Emmy nominations in 2020, and was partially funded by a grant from Quad City Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation. For more information about the film, visit www.LaneRebelsMovie.com. To learn more about the Stowe House in Cincinnati, visit www.stowehousecincy.org/index.html.

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.