A longtime favorite of rep programmers and civics classrooms alike, Frank Capra’s classic 1939 political fable Mr. Smith Goes to Washington tells the story of a naïve young scout leader (James Stewart) who improbably finds himself elevated to the position of U.S. Senator. Once inside the beltway, the titular Mr. Smith is soon confronted with harsh realities of modern politics, his idealistic view of American government sorely challenged. And, in the eight decades since the film’s release, the suffix …goes to Washington has often been invoked to characterize the struggles of ambitious political outsiders to remake the system. Sometimes the fruits of these ambitions can go, well… swamp-drainingly awry. But more often than not, it’s precisely this injection of new blood—and better still, new ideas—that helps our perennially imperfect nation to continue to evolve. Which is why over the past few weeks we’ve been proud to present a very special, election-cycle programming slate dubbed (what else?) Film Independent Goes to Washington, which will continue to run for several more weeks. Free to the general public, this special series has thus far featured two great politically-minded docs—All In: The Fight for Democracy and The Way I See It—with much more to come. Keep reading to find out everything that’s happened so far (including how you can catch up) as well as everything coming up… (Oh, also: don’t forget to vote.)
FILM INDEPENDENT GOES TO WASHINGTON
The Way I See It. Photojournalist Pete Souza boasts the unique distinction of serving as White House photographer under two very different presidents: Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Since leaving his gig along with the rest of the Obama administration in 2016, Souza has joined Instagram, shrewdly wielding the platform to deliver devastating critiques of Donald Trump while sharing his unrivaled archive of images. Now, Souza’s career and continuing activism are the subject of Dawn Porter’s new documentary The Way I See It—her second film in very nearly as many months, following July’s John Lewis: Good Trouble. After a preview screening of the new film, Souza and Porter joined Fi President Josh Welsh for a Q&A, which you can watch in its entirety above.
The Glorias. Who better to helm a biopic of pioneering feminist and Ms. magainze founder Gloria Steinem than the great Julie Taymor (Frida, Across the Universe)—and who better to play her than two-time Film Independent Spirit Award winner Julianne Moore. The new drama, which premiered at Sundance and was released by Roadside Attractions and LD Entertainment on September 30, observes Steinem as she travels the world, broadening her understanding of human societies and continuing to develop her own progressive philosophies. The film co-stars Janelle Monáe, Alicia Vikander, Bette Milder and more. Watch our full post-screening Q&A with Julie Taymor and Carla Renata again.
City So Real. The latest project from documentary legend Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters), City So Real is a five-part docuseries, which premiered on the National Geographic channel on October 29 following the 2019-20 Chicago mayoral elections. Interwoven with the campaign intrigue are the devastating emergence of COVID-19, George Floyd protests and more. Following an exclusive sneak preview of the series, Steve James and producer Zak Piper joined IndieWire’s Ben Travers for an insighful Q&A.
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NOTE: an earlier version of this blog originally ran in September.
