HAYDEN — A free military-themed film festival opens Tuesday, at Hayden Discount Cinemas, with the aim of celebrating U.S. servicemen and women.

Taking place the day after Veteran’s Day and featuring major studio films such as “Saving Private Ryan” alongside recent short films and classic titles such as the 1941 Gary Cooper biopic “Sergeant York,” the North Idaho Veteran’s Film Celebration covers the last century of major conflicts from World War I to the Global War on Terror.

“The intent of this event is to throw open the doors of the cinema for everyone to come in and witness the last hundred years of America’s intense military history,” said festival co-director Andrew Enriquez, a staff sergeant in the Idaho Army National Guard and award-winning amateur filmmaker. “When we organized this event, we intentionally used the title ‘celebration’, because that’s what it’s intended to be, rather than a conventional film festival.”

The event receives support from Post Falls’ National Guard unit as part of its community outreach and education, as well as a donation from Garwood entrepreneurs Bill and Pat Hanebuth and local businesses such as Party 101 party supplies, Java Café, and Donut House in Hayden.

Hayden Discount Cinemas owner Mike Lehosit is donating screening room time and film acquisition expertise to exhibit the films, as well as his connections to filmmaker friends. Lehosit’s acquaintance Mark Vizcarra, for example, served 29 years as a Navy pilot and officer before taking up filmmaking. His 2017 short film “Forgotten Hero” tells the formerly top secret true story of a Korean War fighter pilot forced into a deadly skirmish with seven Soviet fighter jets that threatens to ignite World War III.

“One of the most rewarding things about getting permission to screen titles like “Forgotten Hero” is not only to see these extraordinary stories onscreen, but also the talent of veteran filmmakers,” Enriquez said. “Not only high-flying heroics, but also something as edgy and hilarious as ‘Discharged.’”

“Discharged,” an animated comedy series created by Iraq and Afghanistan vet Jas Boothe, focuses on the veteran experience after military service, and uses adult language and situations service members might recognize from their own experiences in real life. Boothe’s career ended after a cancer diagnosis, but she survived and rebounded to form Final Salute, a nonprofit dedicated to providing services for homeless female veterans and their children.

“Talking about life journeys, I’m so happy to see ‘Sergeant York’ in this lineup,” Enriquez said. “It was my favorite film as a child, both for the war scenes and the humor. Here you have a film about a world famous war hero, but his story really begins with him having a religious revelation and becoming a strict pacifist before he’s kind of thrust into the role of a soldier. I can’t think of any better way to commemorate the centenary of the armistice ending WWI than this film: all-American and just so human.”

Other feature films include “The Fighting Seabees,” which stars John Wayne and details the formation of naval construction battalions in WWII, and the hard-hitting Afghan war documentary “No Greater Love.” Filmed and produced by Army Chaplain Justin D. Roberts, Love incorporates intense combat footage and post-deployment interviews from 101st Airborne Division soldiers. Winner of the 2017 GI Film Festival’s Best Veteran Filmmaker Award, the film’s website states its intent is not only to document one unit’s experiences (the battalion received more than 200 Purple Hearts during the deployment), but to inspire conversations about PTSD and encourage the public to engage veterans in their communities.

“After the story announcing our event ran in the Press, I was also immediately contacted by a local woman about sharing the documentary film of her stepfather, Medal of Honor recipient 1st sergeant David McNerney, and his unit in Vietnam,” Enriquez said. “Having watched the film (“Honor in the Valley of Tears”) now, I feel a personal connection to this story via his stepdaughter, and this is exactly what the North Idaho Veteran’s Film Celebration is about. Witnessing and sharing these stories, so that we know the extraordinary service that people here, in our own communities, have rendered our nation. My hope is that this will inspire North Idahoans to ask more questions about the vets in their lives, and, if they can, capture their stories to share with the community.”

Honor in the Valley of Tears plays on the same bill as Stephen Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning blockbuster “Saving Private Ryan,” which has both a morning and an evening show time to accommodate viewers. 1940s and ’50s-era Warner Bros. “Private Snafu” training cartoons will play between features to lighten the mood and provide a nostalgic glimpse of life in the military.

Admission is free for all films. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. for a coffee and donuts reception in the Hayden Discount Cinemas lobby. Screenings begin at 10 a.m. with “The Fighting Seabees” and run in two screening rooms throughout the day, with “Saving Private Ryan” as the grand finale at 7:30 p.m.

For screening times or more information, visit Hayden Discount Cinema’s website at www.hdcmovies.com, or the Idaho Veterans Film Celebration’s Facebook page, or call Enriquez at 208-830-4943.