From May 12th to June 10th, eight remarkable films will have their theatrical premiere in downtown Washington. Two independent documentary filmmakers, Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini, spent six years filming inside Capitol Hill to create a set of cinema-verité documentaries that together trace the high and low points of the controversial quest for comprehensive immigration reform.
How Democracy Works Now was shot with unprecedented access to the dramas of back room negotiations and war room strategy sessions never seen by the public. Major Senators and Congressmen, influential lobbyists, small town grassroots leaders and the unsung heroes of Capitol Hill — Congressional staffers — are all vividly portrayed protagonists.
Each of the eight STORIES is a stand-alone feature film. Together, they trace the evolution of a complicated Grand Bargain, and the evolving roles of players on both sides. From the heady days before 9/11, through a year inside Senator Sam Brownback’s office, to the competition between upstart House staffers and established Senate offices racing to design an immigration bill, the arc builds to the true story of the last great immigration legislative battles, led by Senator Ted Kennedy, of 2006 and 2007.
The HDWN series, directed and produced by Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini, premiered in March 2010 on HBO, and is currently touring the country in a series of national screenings that aim to encourage frank debate and, with their vivid portrayal of an era when bipartisanship was alive, dialogue on the health of our nation’s political system.
Join us for an unflinching look at how America’s democracy really works, and see it as so few do: on the big screen, and from the inside.
EVENT INFORMATION
Dates: May 12, 13, 20, 27, 28 June 3, 4, 10
Times: 7 PM, 9 PM
Location: Goethe Institut
812 7th Street NW (at I Street) Washington, D.C.
Metro: Gallery PL- Chinatown, exit to 7 Street
Tickets: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/tickets
FILM SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 27, 2010 7:00 and 9:00 pm
The Kids Across the Hill
AZ Republican Congressmen Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, with their 20-something staffers Margaret and Becky, write their own radical immigration bill and derail the well-laid plans of the immigration advocates — and Senate Democrats. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/the-kids-across-the-hill
Friday, May 28, 2010 7:00 and 9:00 pm
Marking Up the Dream
The Dream Act hopes to give kids who were brought to this country illegally, but completed high-school, a chance at in-state tuition and citizenship. Getting the bill through a Senate markup and on to the floor is an eye-opening lesson about back stage maneuvering and the power of staffers. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/marking-up-the-dream
Thursday, June 3, 2010 7:00 and 9:00 pm
TBA
Friday, June 4, 2010 7:00 and 9:00 pm
The Senate Speaks
Senator Kennedy battles to get his and McCain¼s bill to the Senate floor, where the real fight begins. But with the midterms so close, Senate leaders don¼t seem to want a bill. Advocates smell a double-cross and go public with an attack, as they partner with Kennedy and McCain to get the bill passed. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/the-senate-speaks
Thursday, June 10, 2010 7:00 and 9:00 pm
Last Best Chance (Director’s Cut of HBO’s The Senators’ Bargain)
Inside the final Senate battle for Kennedy’s dream of immigration reform, below the level of strategy and protocol, we find a moral tale of modern American politics. Senator Edward Kennedy now must decide … how much does he want this deal, and what is he willing to trade for his greatest legacy? Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/last-best-chance