18 IN ‘08, is a nonpartisan documentary film made by 19 year old director, David D. Burstein. It is targeted at today’s 17-24 year olds, many of whom will be voting for the first time in a presidential election in 2008. 18 IN ‘08 features interviews with many of the most influential politicians of today, as well as popular culture figures, political activists, media commentators, and student leaders.

18 IN ‘08 explains what is at stake for youth in the 2008 election, how decisions made in Washington today will affect young people for years to come, the issues and ideas that engage our generation, what turns us off, why are we so cynical about politics, the role of new media in engaging young voters, and candidates who have inspired youth. Fast-paced, entertaining, and thought-provoking, the film is ultimately a call to young people to overturn traditional under-representation in election campaigns, get involved in the political process, and vote. 

“A Call to Action” depicts how voter registration organization HeadCount, and other non-profits, have turned the live music community into a politically influential force. Join Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Marc Brownstein, Al Schnier, Bela Fleck and many other HeadCount supporters as they reflect upon the history of the organization, its mission and the live music scene’s increased mobilization around causes. 

CALL IT DEMOCRACY takes a serious look at the history of Presidential elections and the Electoral College.

Unlike films which wonder “why,” CALL IT DEMOCRACY presents historical and non-partisan analysis of both the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections and tells amazing stories such as the 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon recounts, the attempts by Segregationist Third Party Candidate George Wallace to manipulate the Electoral College in 1968, and President Ford’s consideration about whether he should overturn the election results in close states.  Those and other elections prior to the 20th century show that “one man one vote” is not always a guarantee if the other party is in power.

The film features interviews with Senator Birch Bayh, author of two constitutional Amendments (the only American to do so since the Founding Fathers), prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, Prof. Alan Dershowitz, Federal Judge Richard A. Posner, Mary Frances Berry, Chairperson of the US Commission on Civil Rights, Rep. John Conyers, and Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

In a sweeping study of how elections are controlled by local election administrators, Call it Democracy argues that the Electoral College directly impacted 2002’s Help America Vote Act which tried to eliminate punch card ballots but brought us electronic voting.

Frank Popper’s engaging documentary follows the 2004 campaign of Jeff Smith, a young political science instructor at Washington University who runs for the seat vacated by retiring congressman Dick Gephardt. Pitted against state Rep. Russ Carnahan, the scion of a powerful political family, Smith proves that an unknown with no money can make a difference, forging a campaign that ultimately poses a serious challenge to Carnahan

DIVIDED WE STAND is a video journey during the waning days of the 2004 Presidential Election. The director, Tom Drew, weaves his way across the Southwest through a line of ‘swing states’, from his home in Los Angeles to his parent’s farm in Arkansas. The colorful assortment of Americans Drew profiles are very much divided in their feelings and opinions on just about every important issue of the day: God, gays, guns and the Iraq War. But in spite of these deep divisions, the documentary also tries to show what all of us have in common and what unites us as a country. If you have an interest in politics and America, then hitch a ride, sit back and take in the scenery along a road of discovery during one of the most divisive times in the history of our country. 

ICOUNT is an examination of the Millennial Vote of 2008. It’s a short documentary giving our featured First Time Voters the opportunity to share their views, concerns and opinions about politics and life in the United States.

Doris “Granny D” Haddock laced up her sneakers and walked across America to rally against the influence of big money in elections—making both friends and enemies inside the Washington beltway...when she was 90 years old. Now 94 and still fed up with politics as usual, she jumps at an unexpected chance to run for U.S. Senate in the state of New Hampshire. A tale of doggedness versus dollars, grit against greenbacks, RUN GRANNY RUN is an unlikely portrait of a remarkable activist and an exploration of our fragile democracy in the corporate age.

RUNNING WITH ARNOLD is a politically-charged documentary that tells the fascinating and humorous story of one of the most famous men of our time.  From his childhood in post World War II Austria, through his days as a weightlifting champion and action movie star, the film exposes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life in all of its sordid glory.  We watch how Arnold’s ambition for fame and power have led him on a “take no prisoners” political career that resulted in his winning the political circus special recall election campaign to become the leader of the world’s fifth largest economy as Governor of California.

The story of how Tom Delay stole the U.S. Congress. It’s the story of one of the most blatant power grabs in American history, and how a District Attorney in Texas turned out to be the biggest threat to the national DeLay Machine. The film is a warning about how easy it is for American democracy to be hijacked by a combination of relentless ambition and corporate millions. It makes the case that DeLay built a “custom-made Congress” that is still providing votes for his agenda.

Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey threw himself into the race for Minnesota Governor on January 13, 2006. His thirteen point platform included helping farmers, improving the public school system, and advocating for better benefits for United States veterans. However, it was his “coming out” to the media as a Hecate Witch, Satanic Dark Priest and Sanguinary Vampire that grabbed Jonathon National and International attention. His candidacy marked the beginning of the largest amount of media coverage ever given to an unknown third party candidate running for Governor in American history.