Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival 2008

Even when armies surrender and peace treaties are signed, the war isn't over for everyone. The Last Flight Home documents the story of Dr. Patrick Scannon, whose search for missing World War II aircraft and the MIAs associated with them has continued for over 60 years. Palau was a ferocious battleground in the Pacific, where more than 200 US aircraft went down on and around the islands, with almost half of them with crew listed as Missing In Action.

During the war, all their families received was a telegram from the State Department, listing their sons as whereabouts unknown, Missing In Action. Yet over generations, they continued to hope and pray for their return, waiting for an answer, for some clue as to what happened. They simply refused to forget.

Then, out of the blue, comes a phone call that finally offers some answers and leaving no stone unturned, Dr. Scannon furthers his research into the MIAs of Palau by scouring the National Archives, After Action Reports, and interviews with veterans of the campaign. The film follows the story of three searches in Palau and the families touched by this work.

Scannon's small team of self-funded private citizens have taken on this task simply as a way of thanking the MIAs and their families for the sacrifices made decades ago. Filmed over the course of nearly six years and seven expeditions to Palau, where the events originally unfolded, it turns out that the heart of the story was here in the U.S. with the people who never gave up hope.

Please note: Online ticket sales end 24 hours before each event. Tickets may still be available for purchase at the venue.