Just days after Barack Obama won the presidential election, HBO shelled out seven figures for Amy Rice and Alicia Sams’ untitled documentary on his presidential run. The two filmmakers brought the idea to Edward Norton at the beginning of Obama’s run in 2006, after which he agreed to produce and filming began.
They obviously took an enormous risk allocating such a massive amount of time on a candidate who at first looked like an extreme long shot. But with Tuesday’s results the time and energy paid off, and following the sale Edward Norton commented on the importance of the project. “We believe this film will capture a tipping point in American history, when a new generation of leadership emerged and old prejudices were finally vaulted over.”
The crew will continue to shoot through Obama’s inauguration and Sam Pollard, who cut HBO Films’ “When the Levees Broke and “4 Little Girls,” is hoping to have the film ready for a 2009 premiere. Even though the sale was to HBO the filmmakers are still seeking a theatrical release.
In other political/movie news, Michael Moore expressed his strong feelings following the election of Barack Obama. “Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.”
Unfortunately he couldn’t save himself from sensationalism attempted to convince us that democratic presidents have something to do with landmark directors and also says something about how he will still have things to bitch about in an Obama presidency.
“When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, “gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?” Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be?”
Is someone going to break it to the guy that even with Obama in the White House, we will still have to stomach just as many shitty studio movies as we did in the Bush years.