Obama Doc in '09

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11 days ago Variety's Tatiana Siegel reported that Sony has bought all int'l media rights (excluding U.K. TV) plus domestic home entertainment rights to Edward Norton, Amy Rice and Alicia Sams' By the People: The Election of Barack Obama. It will open in U.S. theatres via HBO Documentary Films, Siegel wrote, although she didn't include a projected release date. In fact, she didn't even spitball about a possible '09 release.

That suggested to me that the doc would probably come out in '10, which "will feel too late in the game," I wrote. Well, scratch that. I don't know why Siegel wasn't told but By The People will come out this year (sometime in the mid to late fall, or possibly December), and in fact is right now in a finished-enough state that certain parties have seen it and raved. Which means it could qualify for '09's Best Feature Documentary Oscar. (Maybe.) Which means it could play at the Venice or Toronto Film Festivals...maybe. But it'll definitely be in theatres before 12.31.09, to be followed by HBO cable playdates.

Norton's Class 5 Films produced By The People; Rice and Sams directed.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 18, 2009 at 8:58 AM

comment #1

Ben C says ...

If it is as good they say someone oughtta change the title. A great doc about this subject has to come off unbiased, seat of you pants - in the moment Wiseman-Maysles real.

But "We The People"?

It's hokey, some puff piece valentine, one of those myriad Historic Milestone DVDs they were selling a week after the election.

Fine for a second tier HBO doc, but Born into Brothels it is not.

Posted by Ben C at April 18, 2009 10:11 AM

comment #2

JT says ...

wow, talk about some serious, waste of time ass-eating. why don't they wait just a fw short years whn we bounce his ass out of office for not getting us out of this economic crisis (note to haters: Americans vote with their pocketbook first. Just ask Bush 1)?

Posted by JT at April 18, 2009 10:49 AM

comment #3

AH says ...

JT: Talk about the pot calling the kettle black (no pun intended).

Posted by AH at April 18, 2009 10:51 AM

comment #4

Jeffrey Wells says ...

It's called By The People, and calling it an exercise in ass-eating is a hugely calloused and ignorant thing to say.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at April 18, 2009 11:09 AM

comment #5

JT says ...

Ok, wells, how bout his title instead: "The election of BHO: How America got boondoggled into believin' the hype."

Posted by JT at April 18, 2009 11:22 AM

comment #6

Ben C says ...

We The People - By The People - same difference..
Maybe the film's fantastic, but the title promises something saccharine and forgettable, and who, other than the insecure liberal commemorative-plate collecting crowd needs some warm and cuddly "Hey guys - WE DID IT!" type excercise?

How is that any different from The Path to 9/11 or the crap Alexandra Pelosi puts out?

Posted by Ben C at April 18, 2009 12:14 PM

comment #7

Scott Mendelson says ...

I have to admit that my first thought when I read about this last year was 'hmm, I bet that Edward Norton takes over the project, reworks the thing, and the film ends with Edward Norton being elected president of the United States'.

Posted by Scott Mendelson at April 18, 2009 9:44 PM

comment #8

dogcatcher says ...

JT: maybe we should call it:

"The Bitterness of Conservative America: How After a generation of fuck ups, the American people have finally consigned the GOP to irrelevant bellyaching on the internets."

I know it's long, but it pretty much sums up everything the Republicans are about now, doesn't it?

I love how many goopers seem to think that what we are going through now is nothing more than a respite from our Republican overlords. You keep dreaming...

Posted by dogcatcher at April 19, 2009 8:18 AM

comment #9