Harriet Beecher Stowe was a small, quiet woman who wielded a towering, thunderous literary voice that helped change the conscience and course of a nation. The poster for “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe.” Barely five feet tall, Stowe (1811-1896) is just 23 in the award-winning docudrama “Sons & Daughters of Thunder (2019) by Moline-based filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films. A half-hour companion documentary, “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe,” premiered last February on WQPT-PBS, and will be presented online by the Bettendorf Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 18... Read More

Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Moline-based Fourth Wall Films are certainly hoping the fifth time is the charm. After four previous nominations for Mid-America Emmy Awards (but no wins), the veteran documentary filmmakers received three more last week for their first docudrama, “Sons & Daughters of Thunder,” and another for their documentary “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe.” The Emmy awards (for TV broadcasts mainly in Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois outside Chicago) will be announced on Nov. 21 in an online ceremony. “We believe in the films and we’re glad the Emmy judges believe... Read More

It’s been a HUGE day for Tammy and Kelly Rundle and their Fourth Wall Films Crew! The morning began and the afternoon has continued with news of nominations for major awards! Tammy announced on her Facebook this morning: We awoke to some marvelous news! “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” has received a nomination for a Mid-America Emmy in the Arts/Entertainment category! “Thunder” was produced by Tammy Rundle, Kelly Rundle, Kent Hawley, and Executive Producer Kimberly Kurtenbach. The film is based on a beautiful play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter. Our gratitude... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a comprehensive weekly feature looking at a trend, personality, or major subject involving the Quad-Cities arts and entertainment scene. Though he’s been unemployed for months, like millions of Americans, due to Covid-19, St. Ambrose University alum Brian Hemesath got good news late last month. For the third time out of eight nominations, the 48-year-old Iowa native won a Daytime Emmy Award for his costume design work on “Sesame Street.” Hemesath – who earned his bachelor’s in theater and art in 1994 from SAU – was among a team of 21 designers to tie for the... Read More