The 47th edition of the Denver Film Festival is underway. The festival’s significance remains evident, as audiences find films that inspire, question, and explore as the silver screen was intended. Citywide, DFF enables exposure to the pursuits of both the tiniest productions to the heavy hitters promoted by the major studios. The credits remain telling, especially as America readies for the Presidential election.
From the lineup, Homegrown (2024) and Zurawski vs Texas (2024) explore the American political climate. Documentary filmmaking is a tedious, unknown financial pursuit – clearly not for the faint of heart. Some attempt to take the audience by storm, with shocking storylines in an attempted jubilee. Others do so with tried and true formulas. Homegrown started production in 2018 while Zurawski obtained its calling with the 5 – 4 United States Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs Wade. Both films capture how political objectives impact Americans. For the audience, choosing to see each reveals the curiosity and honesty of their topics.
January 6, 2021 marked a turning point in how the media covers democracy, revealing the vulnerability of America’s tradition of peaceful transition of power. Supporters of DJT seized the opportunity to leave an indelible mark on U.S. history – the Capitol riot. The Republican-controlled Senate enabled DJT-nominated Supreme Court justices to reshape the court and, ultimately, to dismantle five decades of federal abortion protections.
Homegrown narrows its focus to three main characters drawn from twelve initial subjects. Chris Quaglin, a New Jersey-based electrician, and soon-to-be father, is one of two American white voters who put down the possibility of “hanging chads” to change their lives based on liberties perceived protected by the American constitution. So too was Thad Cisneros, a father, Navy veteran, and a Latino member of the Proud Boys. That was until other citizens were hurt on January 6th. Similarly, Zurawski demonstrated how Texas citizens are now, despite income or race, being restricted by America’s highest court’s decision and that implemented at the state level from receiving life-saving healthcare.
January 6th rioter Chris Quaglin (Courtesy of Homegrown.film).
Each film shares the economic and political harm caused by flawed government policies. Each emotionally causes the audience to be aligned with the characters as they develop into relatable fellow Americans. The filmmakers demonstrate how citizens have legal rights granted by America’s constitution but, interpreted in a politically charged national debate, can quickly lose those rights. Each has Americans emotionally and physically harmed, because of perceived and real threats to individual freedoms.
The failings of Super Tuesday will once again play out for America as voters choose between Donald J Trump/Vance and Kamala Harris/Walsh. For Chris Quaglin, who hoped for a better life for his newborn, and for Amanda Zurawski, who can no longer have children because of a surgically caused and damaged fallopian tube, the films should awaken concerned citizens. The glamour and fame found in film (Hilary and Chelsea Clinton were executive producers along with Jennifer Lawrence for Zurawski vs. Texas) is likely going to be overshadowed by the November 5th elections. Citizens curious enough to skip news bites and desire to dig deeper into significant topics of our day should put both films on their festival schedule.
