Here’s a calendar-worthy event for Washingtonians and visitors planning to be in the city next weekend: Politics on Film is the first-ever film festival to award jury prizes to movies that focus on themes of politics or policy.
And if you think making movies about politics and policy is sort of like dressing up an ugly prom date, think again. The tradition of American political cinema includes some of the best pictures Hollywood has ever produced.
That was the conclusion of a panel convened last night to chew over what makes a film political.
Among the participants were Dan Glickman, the head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA); Ann Hornaday, movie critic for the Washington Post; and two filmmakers – Jason Pollock, a young guy who used to work with Michael Moore and recently completed a documentary about 18-21 year olds running for elected office; and Sig Libowitz, an actor, lawyer, and writer/producer of a short film based on transcripts of trials at Guantanamo Bay.
So what makes a film political? It’s a matter of perception, of course. But the panelists favored a broad approach, agreeing that any movie in which someone attempts to transform an aspect of government, society, or his or her own life is, in some sense, political.
Our understanding of politics, the panelists made clear, shouldn’t be confined to what happens in Washington. The business world is rife with politics (especially these days), sex is often a political topic, and local communities, schools, churches, and workplaces have their own political architectures that can be compellingly depicted on film.
The godfather of DC film critics, Arch Campbell, asked the panelists to name their favorite political films. Responses: Election, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Manchurian Candidate (original version), Bulworth, Primary Colors, and The Truman Show. Not a snoozer in the bunch.
After the panelists spoke, they screened three trailers of movies included in this year’s festival: Libowitz’s film, The Response (starring Kate Mulgrew, Peter Riegert, and The Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi); The Other Side of Immigration, which examines the immigration issue from the perspective of Mexican towns and families left behind (and includes music from My Morning Jacket and Conor Oberst); and What’s the Matter with Kansas?, an adaptation of Thomas Frank’s book that explores how Kansas shifted from its radical 19th century roots to its modern status as one of the reddest of red states.
The complete list of films to be screened, and ticket information, is available at the festival’s web site: www.politicsonfilm.com.
The films were chosen from nearly 100 submissions for their ability to entertain and spur moviegoers to keep talking about the themes long after they leave the theater.
And if you’d like a personal recommendation, Cult of Personality is a funny, illuminating, and even-handed treatment of the first New Orleans mayoral election after Hurricane Katrina. It’s an uplifting and head-shaking tale of people dealing with life and all it throws in their path.
