Home > Cinema > DOCUMENTARY - UNITED STATES - "American Blackout": Investigating Black (...)
DOCUMENTARY - UNITED STATES - "American Blackout": Investigating Black Voters Disenfranchisement
Friday 29 September 2006, posted by
– Director: Ian Inaba
– Year: 2006
– 92 min
Film Synopsis
Most people have heard of the voting irregularities that marred the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. Some even know of the resulting challenges to the electoral votes by African-American congressional representatives. However, because the mainstream media shies away from reporting cases of imperiled democracy the public is left to believe these stories are at worst insignificant rumors or at best one-off incidents that result from an overburdened election system.
"American Blackout" chronicles the recurring patterns of disenfranchisement witnessed from 2000 to 2004 while following the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who not only took an active role in investigating these election debacles but also found herself in the middle of one after publicly questioning the Bush Administration about the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Some call Cynthia McKinney a civil rights leader among the ranks of Shirley Chisholm and Malcolm X. Others call her a conspiracy theorist and a ’looney.’ American Blackout gains unprecedented access to one of the most controversial and dangerous politicians in America and examines the contemporary tactics used to control our democratic process and silence political dissent.
The film features interviews with: US Congressional Representatives, John Lewis, Cynthia McKinney, John Conyers, Bernie Sanders, and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones; former US Civil Rights Commissioner & Dean of UC Berkeley’s School of Law, Christopher Edley; BBC journalist Greg Palast; and, Van Jones, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center. Music for the film has been provided by DJ Shadow, Soulsavers and Thievery Corporation, and includes original music
composed by Michael Bearden and Mark Batson.
For more information, to check the current screenings in your region, buy the DVD or organize a screening in your community, see the documentary website
Forum posts
1. DOCUMENTARY - UNITED STATES - "American Blackout": Investigating Black Voters Disenfranchisement, 8 January 2008, 08:00
GOOD!
2. DOCUMENTARY - UNITED STATES - "American Blackout": Investigating Black Voters Disenfranchisement, 19 October 2008, 07:27
Thanks for your good article.