External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Audacity of Democracy .
| The Audacity of Democracy | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Brad Mays |
| Written by | Brad Mays |
| Produced by | Brad Mays Lorenda Starfelt Steve Yeager |
| Starring | Darragh Murphy Kim Haas Tommy Christopher |
| Cinematography | Brad Mays Steve Yeager Lorenda Starfelt |
| Edited by | Brad Mays |
| Music by | Gus Mays |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Audacity of Democracy is a 2009 American independent documentary film [1] [2] produced by Lorenda Starfelt and directed by Brad Mays for LightSong Films in North Hollywood. The film, which was shot in New York City, Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas and Austin, Texas; and Denver, Colorado is an in-depth look at the P.U.M.A. (People United Means Action) movement in general and one of its most controversial leaders, Darragh Murphy, in particular. [3]
Brad Mays quickly came under fire from various online pro-Obama blogs, citing conflict-of-interest due to the production having been financed by PUMA-Pac itself. A vociferously anti-PUMA site called StupidPumas posted a paged entitled Stupid Brad Mays, criticizing the filmmaker for not doing proper investigative work on the PUMA movement. [4] Mays acknowledged these concerns, while maintaining that the film would be an objective account of what he saw and heard during the Democratic primary. [5] About a week before the Democratic convention in Denver, all of Mays' camera equipment was stolen while en route to Chicago. Although most of the gear was eventually replaced, the crucial Chicago shoot was seriously compromised.
When Mays decided, for the sake of balance, to film interviews with internet journalist Tommy Christopher, [6] an outspoken critic of the PUMA movement, the rank and file of the PUMA movement quickly denounced the filmmaker, distancing themselves from the entire project. In multiple subsequent Blog-Radio interviews, Brad Mays has expressed extreme dissatisfaction with his film, revealing that he had not been allowed to complete shooting in the manner originally agreed to, adding that many of the PUMA members who had decided to switch their support to John McCain did not care for the way their new-found Republican leanings played onscreen. [7] [8] According to a WordPress.com announcement for the movie, "this two hour film offers a sympathetic yet unflinching look at a genuine grass-roots political action group determined, for good or ill, to change the course of American history." [9]
Citing alleged electoral malfeasance including caucus fraud on the part of rival candidate Barack Obama's juggernaut campaign, PUMA attempted, without success, to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination for their candidate of choice, Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton. [10]
Thomas Emmet Hayden was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and intellectual activist in the 1960s, becoming an influential figure in the rise of the New Left. As a leader of the leftist organization Students for a Democratic Society, he authored the Port Huron Statement, helped lead protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and stood trial in the resulting "Chicago Seven" case.
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Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for president of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 2008, on August 23, leading up to the convention, the campaign announced that Senator Joe Biden of Delaware would be the vice presidential nominee. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, Barack Obama was formally selected as the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in 2008. He was the first African American in history to be nominated on a major party ticket. On November 4, 2008, Obama defeated the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, making him the president-elect and the first African American elected president.
"People United Means Action" was a political action committee in the United States that opposed the Democratic Party leadership and the nomination of Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for President in the 2008 presidential election. PUMA began as an effort by supporters of Obama's primary rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who believed that Clinton should have been the Democratic nominee. According to PUMA, "We [were] protesting the 2008 Presidential election because we refuse to support a nominee who was selected by the leadership rather than elected by the voters."
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Brad Mays is a multi award-winning independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California.
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