Convention

(USA, 2009, 93 mins)

Producers: Jennifer Chikes, Britta Erickson, Shirley Moyers, AJ Schnack, Nathan Truesdell
Cinematographers: Steven Bognar, Daniel Junge, Laura Poitras, Julia Reichert, Wayne Robbins, AJ Schnack, Paul Taylor, Nathan Truesdell, David Wilson
Editors: AJ Schnack, Nathan Truesdell

For four days in August 2008, every news camera in the nation—if not the world—was focused on Denver, Colorado, host to the historic Democratic National Convention. There was one story, however, that remained largely overlooked by the mainstream media—the efforts of Denver city officials, local reporters, and grassroots protesters to deal with the impact of the Convention coming to town. Despite years of planning, there are daily challenges to be met—from finding the Mayor’s missing credentials to avoiding a downtown traffic jam of marching veterans, protestors, and presidential motorcades—and the pressure is intense for everyone involved.

Director AJ Schnack assembled a team of filmmakers—each respected documentarians in their own right—to capture the behind-the-scenes machinations of this massive political event. The result of their collaboration is a fast-paced portrait of a modern metropolitan city at work, as well as of the individuals responsible who are determined to do their hometown proud. The convention may have been a momentous occasion with worldwide ramifications, but as a Denver Post reporter remarks early on, “It’s a local story now.”

-- Doug Jones

Sponsored By:

California Common Cause

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