Sedona Film Festival Web Write-Up, Screening August 5, 2008 pdf file with pictures

“Considering Democracy” makes Arizona premiere in Best of Fest

Film Festival to host important, timely political documentary on Aug. 5; director to attend

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Arizona premiere of the award-winning documentary feature “Considering Democracy: 8 Things to Ask Your Representative” as part of its “Best of Fest” film series. There will be two screenings of the film at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. on Aug. 5 at Harkins Sedona Six Theatres.

The film’s director, Keya Lea Horiuchi, will be in Sedona to host the movie and present a Q&A discussion following the screenings. 

“This is a call to get involved.  At this critical time in U.S. history, just before an important Presidential and Congressional election in November, 2008, this movie can be a stimulus to dialogue,” said Jane Ginn, member of the festival’s film selection committee.   

While the U.S. is the most flaunted democracy in the world, how do we compare with, and what does the rest of the world think of U.S. foreign and domestic policy? Americans are continually told through their media that freedom and democracy are being given to people abroad, but is it true? This documentary takes a look.

Ever since Alexis DeTocqueville traveled across the U.S. in the early 1800s to chronicle democracy in America our great experiment in governance has been a source of wonder and envy among citizens of other nations. The pragmatism, optimism and hope that is so much a part of our national character was forged through the assimilation of multiple cultures and nurtured through our westward expansion.  DeTocqueville caught the crest of that wave of expansion and through, his book Democracy in America, stimulated decades of intellectual discourse on the meaning of democracy to nations around the world.

Keya Lea Horiuchi, in a more modern rendition of this experiment, turns the perspective on its head. In her 2008 film Considering Democracy: 8 Things to Ask Your Representative, she reverses the perspective.  To accomplish this she traveled the world for 5 months video-documenting a sampling of man- or woman-on-the-street impressions of America; thereby looking in from the outside.

In the course of making this film she traveled to Australia, Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Japan, Nepal and Thailand. What is so stimulating about her treatment of the material is her grouping of these impressions into thematic elements.

Through her line of questioning she covers such disparate topics as healthcare, foreign policy, foreign aid, media, campaign finance, lobbying and legislation, and working hours for labor.  The material is edited into crisp and sometimes disarming arrays of widely disparate views.  Importantly, she points out some of the current trends in a manner that helps the viewer reflect on these patterns, and their own role or place within that framework.

She then uses these themes and the compiled data to formulate questions viewers can pose to their own U.S. Congressional representatives.  By doing this she artfully moves the subject matter from a strictly entertainment or educational arena into a framework for dialogue and action. The web of topics that she covers provides ample interest to citizens of many different persuasions for getting involved and making their voice heard and their vote count. 

Horiuchi will be in Sedona to conduct a Q&A discussion following both screenings. Once a schoolteacher previously working on the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico and Montrose , CO , Horiuchi got caught up in documentary films. Her first film, “Red Tibet, Free Tibet,” went on to critical and audience acclaim in film festivals all across the U.S. and Canada . She is having the same good fortune with “Considering Democracy” which is on a multi-city tour leading up to the November elections.

Considering Democracy: 8 Things to Ask Your Representative (NR, 60 min.) How do your workplace benefits stack up against those of work in Australia?  How does your healthcare compare to that of France, especially the cost of prescription drugs?  Intrepid “girl with a camera” Keya Lea Horiuchi visits 10 countries around the globe, asking vital questions about work, leisure, health, the media and foreign policy, then setting out to find the answers.  The writer-director-editor-narrator, who previously worked as a schoolteacher on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, means for the film to start salon discussion in living rooms and coffee houses across America; she will host the Nashville screening 7 p.m. Sunday, May 18 upstairs at Bongo Java with discussion to follow.  See the movie’s site at consideringdemocracy.com for questions, links and more information.  (Jim Ridley)

Nashville Scene, May 15, 2008

Considering Democracy - A big hit here in Atlanta, GA

a Considering Democra* in Decatur, GA on May 15 hosting review

It was one of our best - great group of people attended and almost all stayed after the film for a Q & A with Keya, the film maker. It was great having her at our screening, and the discussion lasted about an hour. She is on the road now so if you can get her to come your way, do it. Several people bought copies of the film from here and plan on hosting their own screenings-that is always a good thing.

Questions for the host:

Q: Why did you host this screening? What were your goals?
A: My reasons are always the same-to present information in a relaxed friendly atmosphere where people are encouraged to share their thoughts, discuss, even arguing is ok. Then to take what they have learned/experienced to others-and show the films to their friends/family.

Q: Any additional materials you could have used?
A: No-the film website is loaded with info and links to more. There are discussion questions, further reading and stats all for you to ponder.

Q: Any ideas on how you can use "Considering Democra" in the future?
A: Yes-continue screening it, and really pose the questions raised in the film to people running or office.

Q: Any advice for future screening hosts?
A: Just do it-it's easy and it is fun-and if you can get Keya to come that is bonus.

*From Brave New Theaters, all the letters in the title won't fit, so it's either Consider Democracy or Considering Democra.

Considering Democracy: 8 Things To Ask Your Representative (Not rated, 58 min.) This pointedly pre-presidential-election documentary looks at the image of the U.S. in the world, and asks viewers to examine their expectations about foreign policy, health care and other issues. Director Keya Lea Horiuchi -- who traveled across 10 countries to shoot the film -- will introduce the movie and lead a post-screening discussion. Sponsored by Indie Memphis.

Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, Friday, May 16, 2008

Touring Doc Comes to Oxford

BY MELANIE ADDINGTON
As Printed in the Oxford Town, Posted on May 23, 2008

“Considering Democracy: 8 Things to Ask Your Representative,” the new documentary by Keya Lea Horiuchi screened in Oxford at the Powerhouse on Tuesday to a small crowd. The new director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Wayne Andrews, was on hand and joined in the lively conversation about politics, media, corporations and world views of Americans. The documentary takes us to various parts of the world to see how people think about Americans.

However, the film goes further in finding eight inter-connected ideas on American values, lifestyle and politics. The film is broken into segments that end with the questions we should be asking as elections draw closer.

Horiuchi interweaves the ideas to make a cohesive one hour story. As part of the discussion after the film, an audience member asked if she felt she was preaching to the choir in showing this film, “because I bet you there is not one Republican in this audience.”  The filmmaker looked out at the audience as we all shook our head in agreement. “Oddly enough, I’m a registered Republican,” she revealed.

Horiuchi brought the film here as part of the national tour due to the debates. She’s been touring from state to state with the film for two years. Before becoming a filmmaker she was a teacher on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  She started on the film in 2004. “I thought this is great, it’s such a great medium, I’m going to quit my job and travel around the world and see what other people think [about Americans],” said Horiuchi. She toured the world for about five months until she ran out of her retirement fund. “I don’t know what drives me really.” However, as part of her traveling, she hopes to open up the dialogue with voters.

Several audience members asked questions about her travels and what she didn’t show on camera.  “More often than not people were willing to give their point of view. But, by and large, a lot of interesting things happened when I put the camera away,” she said. “When you are traveling you do see the effects of our foreign policy.”

Horiuchi is considering bringing the film back to Oxford as the debates draw closer. For now, you can see clips and find out more information about the film at http://consideringdemocracy.com.

‘Democracy’ looks at others’ impressions of the U.S.

By Chris Starrs | Athens Banner-Herald Correspondent | May 15, 2008

Filmmaker Keya Lea Horiuchi says she wasn’t necessarily out to change minds when she created the documentary “Considering Democracy,” but she definitely was intent on raising the stakes in terms of creating a dialogue.

The 60-minute “Considering Democracy” (which is subtitled “8 Things to Ask Your Representative”) starts with an interesting premise: “What does the rest of the world think of the United States?”

Through the film’s eight “chapters” (which include topics like health care, media, foreign policy, foreign aid and campaign finance), Horiuchi asks regular folks from around the world their perceptions of America with the hope that her questions and their answers will generate domestic debate.

“The film does seek to create discussion,” says Horiuchi during a recent telephone interview. “And the film hopes to get people more information, and hopefully, we can point clearly in the direction that we’d like to go. The film asks a lot of questions that I don’t have answers for, but I do hope it will create civil discussion toward solutions.”

Horiuchi, who cashed in her retirement account to cart a digital video camera through 10 different countries to collect footage for “Considering Democracy,” will visit Ciné with her film on Friday to field questions and initiate discussion at a trio of screenings.

She’s been on the road promoting both her film and a national dialogue for the past month and says despite any viewer’s political persuasion, there are plenty of items for concern - most notably the pervasive influence of titanic corporations on elections, legislation and media - in the film.

“With this cut of the film, we’ve had sympathetic audiences, regardless of political party,” she says. “I think many people see corporate personhood as chilling. ... We haven’t had that many argumentative people in our audiences. They’re mainly saying, ‘Wow!’”

“Considering Democracy” has been screened at the Beloit (Wis.) Film Festival and the Big Muddy Film Festival in Carbondale, Ill., where it received the John Michaels Award for its examination of social and political issues.

Horiuchi packs a lot of dialogue and information in the documentary but says she was careful during the editing process to keep from creating a “depressing” film.

“Seeing other documentaries was somewhat depressing,” she says. “That’s not a good way to get anything done. I struggled with this for a long time. Digital filmmaking is very empowering, but it’s also very humbling. During the (editing) process, I lost my objectivity, so I took a work-in-progress cut to a lot of screenings, got a lot of feedback and tried to make a film that works for a lot of audiences.”

Utilizing the same do-it-yourself ethic to promote “Considering Democracy” as she did to create it, Horiuchi has been carting the film throughout the country in hopes of raising the bar on debate, especially with a critical presidential election in November.

“The old model for filmmakers was to hope to be included at festivals and then find a distributor,” she said. “But distributors are turning into media conglomerates and aren’t really picking up on interesting films. So I decided to push it myself, which is a scary process. I don’t know what will happen next, but it’s been good fun.”

It might not seem that a film featuring a host of international talking heads discussing the state of the union would be a big draw on a Friday night, but Horiuchi says her film isn’t an arid distillation of facts designed to generate disagreement.

“It’s entertaining and very relevant to our everyday lives,” she says. “And I hope it will create discussion about the things that are important in our lives and that people will be able to discuss it and still remain friends.”