“War Stories,” a feature film by Wichita State University alumnus Lee Whitman, will be screened at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Wichita. Its Midwest premiere is hosted by the Tallgrass Film Association and Uncheckable Films. Tickets are $10, with discounts available, at the door.

“After screening the film at various locales across the country, we are very excited to finally be screening ‘War Stories’ in Wichita," said Whitman. "The Wichita community was so instrumental in helping us to produce this film; we're extremely excited to have the Midwest premiere here.”

Shot on location in Wichita, Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C., during the summer of 2006, “War Stories” features 30 actors, 200 extras and more than 35 locations.

It is the first feature film by Whitman, a Washington D.C.-based Emmy Award winning writer, director and producer. His resume also includes five years with Wichita's Tallgrass Film Festival. Whitman's company, Uncheckable Films, has produced four short films and numerous corporate image pieces.

The film tells the story of Tim Curtright, played by Wichita-based theater veteran Michael Brenton Gordon. Tim is a teenager who discovers -- after believing for his entire life that his father died in the Gulf War -- that his dad may still be alive. With the help of his gay best friend, Austin (Mark Ayesh), and girlfriend, Laura (Sara Hammond), Tim seeks to break through a generation of lies and secrets to discover what really happened.

In addition to Gordon, Hammond and Ayesh, the film also stars Danielle Wolverton and Jay Sanderson.

“ ‘War Stories’ was just such a fun film to work on," Gordon said. “The cast, crew and community all just kind of came together and made it work. It was a great experience."

“I think audiences will be really impressed, engrossed and entertained by ‘War Stories,’ “ said actor Tom Mason. "While the budget wasn't huge, some of the shots just take your breath away. What's been achieved is just really fantastic.”

Whitman, a 2006 Wichita State graduate and former Tallgrass Film Festival staff member, has been writing, directing and producing films for more than 10 years. His short film “Inspiration Point” was featured in the Tallgrass Film Festival, and his original screenplay “Out For Dinner” won Wichita State’s 2006 Holman Screenwriting Competition.

Whitman has received numerous broadcasting awards from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters and won an Emmy Award in 2008 for his work with the American Forces Network at the Department of Defense. He returned to Wichita State in 2009 to accept the Elliot School of Communication "The One to Watch” award.

The trailer for “War Stories” can be seen at http://public.me.com/leewhitman.