OUR BRAND IS CRISIS

Focus groups. Advertising. Careful messaging. Spin and counterspin. These are elements in modern American electoral politics. Is democracy the same everywhere? What happens when American-style politics are applied in another country?

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS looks at what happens when an American political consulting group that includes James Carville works to guide candidate Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (known as Goni) to the presidency of Bolivia, a country plagued by a dire economic situation, political corruption and social disturbances. Goni's campaign is in crisis. And managing crisis is what these guys do best.

Rachel Boynton is on the front lines from the beginning, starting in the offices in Washington DC. She follows the election with amazing access, capturing the behind-the-scenes workings of the campaign, from focus groups giving their opinions to the filming of last minute commercials. The consultants, who are optimistic about, and committed to, trying to elect the best candidate for the job, speak candidly about their strategies and frustrations.

Tensions rise as the difficulty of trying to run a campaign based on voter rationality in a country where, it seems to the consultants, people respond more emotionally becomes clear. And even the best political consultants cannot always solve the problems raised by citizens with a different concept of democracy and the will to take politics into their own hands.

Post-screening discussion moderated by New Republic editor Peter Beinart with director Rachel Boyton and film subject Jeremy Rosner of Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research Inc.

Karen Cirillo

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is Rachel Boynton's first film as a director. Before starting on the project three years ago, she worked as an Associate Producer on several feature-length documentaries, including WELL-FOUNDED FEAR. She also produced for ARD, a German television station. She received an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism, a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University and a Certificate of Political Studies from L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris, France. She is based in New York City.

Print Source:
Rachel Boynton
Boynton Films
50 West 85th St. #13
New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-877-2461
Fax: 212-501-7574
Email: BoyntonFilms@aol.com

Thursday 6/16 at 7:15 p.m.
Saturday 6/18 at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $9

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