About The Filmmakers
Davidson, Neal and Adam began filming the veterans of the 95th at their 55th annual reunion, unsure of where the hundreds of amazing stories would lead. It wasn’t until the veterans organized a return trip to the battlefields of France and Germany later in that same year, that the story arc for THE 95th: THE IRON MEN OF METZ became clear. Following their return from Europe, loaded with over 30 hours of compelling footage, the filmmakers spent an additional year gathering archival footage and more interview material with the four veterans who emerged as the central characters of the documentary.
Davidson Cole
Writer/Director Davidson Cole was selected by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2002. Hearst Magazines, Lincoln and Gen Art honored Cole as an emerging artist during their New Cultural Icons Awards.
Cole’s debut feature, DESIGN, was praised by Variety as “a most auspicious narrative debut…comparable to the David Lynch of Blue Velvet.” DESIGN was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and claimed the Jury Prize at the Atlanta Film Festival and Best Film at the Honolulu Film Festival, where Cole was also awarded “Best Actor.”
A 1994 graduate of Northwestern University, Cole studied acting at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. He performed in several highly acclaimed productions at the respected Raven Theatre in Chicago.
Davidson launched his professional filmmaking career with THE SALE, a 23-minute short film about a suburban garage sale hosted by a twenty-something and his grandfather. THE SALE was a hit with audiences at the 1999 Chicago International Film Festival and received a Certificate of Merit.
He directed the documentary, THE 95th, which explores the stories of an elite WWII Army unit that fought under the command of General George S. Patton and liberated the city of Metz, France from Nazi occupation. PBS first aired THE 95th on Veterans Day 2003.
Neal Gold
Neal Gold brings over 25 years of production experience to all his projects. Since 2001, Neal has produced and/or edited five feature films and two documentary features. Highlights include DESIGN, an official Sundance Film Festival selection that was praised by Variety. He also produced, shot and edited THE 95th, which aired for three years on PBS in Chicago. Other credits include the feature film FINDING PREET, and the documentary THE PASSION OF THE MAO. Both films have screened at major film festivals and have domestic and foreign distribution deals. Neal remains completely committed to the success and proliferation of independent film projects.
Adam Graham
Adam Graham is a graduate of Florida State University with a Communications degree emphasizing media production. He has worked extensively on feature films, documentaries and video productions since graduating in 1997. He began collaborating with Davidson Cole and Neal Gold on various film and video productions upon moving to Chicago in 1998. Adam was part of the production team that produced DESIGN, Davidson Cole’s first feature. Adam Graham currently resides in North Florida where he is a vegan live food chef and instructor. He is still passionate about reaching the masses through conscious media.
