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11-04-08
11-4-08, an excerpt

Just two weeks before the 2008 elections, Jeff Deutchman commissioned twenty fellow filmmakers to document the events of a day that would make history.  The result is 11-4-08, a purely participatory, on the ground look at the day, from the opening of the polls to the celebration that lasted all through the night.  These twenty cameras, operated by hand and with no adjusted light or sound, captured the tension and raw emotion felt by Obama supporters. Although we all now know that Obama’s victory will be declared around 11:00 pm, we feel the same mixture of awe and apprehension as those on camera as the timestamps tell us we are drawing closer and closer to that moment.

The film combines footage collected from Manhattan, Chicago, New Orleans, and several other American cities.  But it also takes us abroad.  In cities like Geneva, Berlin, and New Delhi, we meet people who, although they are unable to participate in the election and may have never even been to the United States, are still anxiously awaiting the results.  In Paris, a group chanting Obama’s famous slogan “Yes we can” gathers to express their hopes that one day France will elect their own black leader.  In Dubai, a woman seems indifferent towards American politics, but perks up quickly when the cameraman informs her Obama wants to remove troops from the Middle East.

February’s 90-Second Cinema clip begins with a Manhattan woman’s proclamation of the election’s importance in American history.  Deutchman cleverly juxtaposes this assertion with a quick cut to Switzerland, the first time the film takes us overseas. Here the cameraman stumbles upon three young women who have just finished discussing the election.  All three are supporting Obama, and one launches into a passionate speech in support of the future president.  The woman, while she herself is black, states that race is not a factor in her support.  Her thoughts echo the sentiments of the multitude of Americans her age who rallied so strongly for Obama.

The majority of the film is conducted in this fashion.  The filmmakers ask their subjects how they feel about the election, and receive a variety of responses.  A convicted felon in Harlem tries to hide his bitterness at not being allowed to vote.  A young campaign volunteer in St. Louis recounts a story of convincing an older man to let her drive him to the polls.  The cameras seem to push people into speech; it’s clear that the event is too monumental for even the shyest subjects to keep to themselves.  But it’s when spontaneous moments occur that the film seems the most genuine.  There is a montage of reactions to Obama’s victory from all over the world, including an Alaskan child, far too young to vote, jumping for joy while on the phone with a friend.

Deutchman’s decision to include footage from other countries shows the monumental weight that the 2008 election carried.  Americans were not the only ones on the edge of their seats on this day; the whole world was watching.  The documentary opens with a note from Deutchman (who purposely calls himself the curator and editor of the film, not the director) saying he was “curious what history looks like.”  As the film shows, he was far from the only one.

Before Deutchman’s project, Arts Engine accomplished its own feat of capturing the democratic process with Election Day.  Film crews in 11 different U.S. cities delved into the personal issues behind each vote as well as lingering paranoia from the disorganization of 2000.  For more on Election Day, visit our official website.

by Mary Iannone

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