''How Democracy Works Now'' is a 10-part, feature documentary film series that examines the American political system through the lens of
immigration reform
Immigration reform is change to the current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, ''reform'' means "to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses". In the political sense, "immigratio ...
during 2001–2007. The films were directed and produced by award-winning filmmaking team
Shari Robertson and
Michael Camerini.
''How Democracy Works Now'' premiered on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
with the broadcast debut of the first five films produced, including ''The Senators' Bargain'' on March 24, 2010. A directors' cut of ''The Senators' Bargain'' was featured in the 2010
Human Rights Watch Film Festival at Lincoln Center, with the theatrical title ''Last Best Chance''. The second story in the 10-part series, ''Mountains and Clouds'', opened the festival in the same year. The films toured the United States as part of the Human Rights Watch traveling film festival, and have been exhibited in special events at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, the Five College Consortium,
Georgia College
Georgia College & State University (Georgia College or GCSU) is a public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia, United States. The university enrolls approximately 7,000 students and is a member of the University System of Georgi ...
and State University, CUNY and numerous other universities.
The remaining five films were completed in 2013 for a 3-day series debut at the 51st
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF i ...
. The full series of 10 feature-length films was streamed on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
in 2014. '
Immigration Battle'', another film that is a capstone to the series, premiered on PBS Frontline in October, 2015. Since its debut, ''How Democracy Works Now'' has become an important resource for advocates, policy-makers and educators, while ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' described it as "without question...the best documentary film series on government ever produced."
Release schedule
Reception
''How Democracy Works Now'' films have received a positive response. It also received positive reviews from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'',
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
,
Congress.org, New American Media and ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
''. Publications have cited the films as important resources for advocates and policy makers. ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said the films had the potential to "help change hearts and minds".
See also
* ''
Well-Founded Fear''
References
External links
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{{Immigration to the United States
Documentary films about American politics
Documentary films about immigration to the United States