You’re invited to join us tonight at 6:15 PM at the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center for the NYC premiere of ‘Last Best Chance,’ the director’s cut of the acclaimed HBO documentary ‘The Senators’ Bargain.’

Find all the details here:
http://www.hrw.org/en/iff/last-best-chance

The New York Times called it “an insiders’ chronicle of the maneuvering and deal-making in the immigration debate” and The Boston Globe wrote that “this fine documentary…vividly illustrates what a skilled inside player Kennedy was.”

We hope you can join and experience ‘Last Best Chance‘ firsthand.

How Democracy Works Now is thrilled to announce three new screenings in New York City, featuring the Senate Speaks at the Paley Center for Media, and Mountains and Clouds and Last Best Chance at the prestigious Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Details below – please join!

Film: The Senate Speaks
Date: June 17, 2010, 5:30 PM
Location: The Paley Center for Media
25 West 52nd Street, NYC [See Map]
Click Here for Tickets

Film: Mountains & Clouds
Date: June 19, 2010, 3:30 PM
Location: Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center
165 W 65th St., New York, 10023 [See Map]
Click Here for Tickets

Film: Last Best Chance
Date: June 23, 2010, 6:30 PM
Location: Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center
165 W 65th St., New York, 10023 [See Map]
Click Here for Tickets

Immigration activist and Change.org blogger Prerna Lal posted an insightful review today of How Democracy Works Now story Marking Up The Dream, recognizing the power of young staffers and influential lobbyists on the Hill in the complicated process of creating laws.

Lal’s review concludes:

“Marking Up the DREAM is a must-watch for anyone interested in learning more about how good ideas can turn into legislation through the work of a few unelected key staffers who command power in Congressional offices on Capitol Hill. That’s part of how democracy works — or maybe doesn’t work — now.”

The review certainly merits a close read – find it here.

Yesterday, in its editorial, “Courage in Arizona,” The New York Times praised the actions of four student activists who staged a sit-in at Senator McCain’s office, urging passage of the Dream Act.

As we’ve already seen through the lessons of How Democracy Works Now, history is repeating itself.

By chance, next week also happens to be the world premiere of Marking Up The Dream, a documentary film tracks the efforts of student activists, Senators and advocates on the Hill to pass the DREAM Act, a law that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented youths who have displayed extraordinary academic performance and community involvement.

As activists once again rally to bring the DREAM Act to Congress, Marking Up The Dream provides invaluable lessons for what happens on the inside, as lawmakers decide the fates of millions.

The film premieres March 28 in Washington DC at Goethe Institute, at 7 PM and 9 PM. Watch the clip below from the film:

INFO

What: Marking Up The Dream

When: May 28, 2010, 7 PM and 9 PM

Where: Goethe Institute, 812 7th Street NW (at I Street), Washington DC

To Buy Tickets: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/tickets

Insider DC publication Roll Call covered the How Democracy Works Now DC tour recently.  Below, a few choice excerpts from the ‘Heard on the Hill‘ column:

When filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini set out to shoot a documentary about the immigration reform effort in 2001, they thought they’d spend about a year on Capitol Hill tracking the process.

They wound up staying six years and making a dozen films (until the immigration effort ultimately fell apart). But with immigration issues again in the news, it seems fitting that the filmmakers are planning to screen eight of the movies from their series, “How Democracy Works Now,” starting May 12 at the Goethe-Institut.

Robertson and Camerini had incredible access to Capitol Hill, filming backroom negotiations, strategy sessions and casual conversations. They filmed Members, staffers, lobbyists, advocates and normal citizens. And they’d often jump between offices, sometimes knowing details the opposing sides didn’t know about each other…

Now that the project is complete, the filmmakers say they hope to use their dozen films to educate the public about the workings of Washington. They remain in touch with many of the staffers they filmed, Camerini says, noting many could take part in the next immigration debate.

With the How Democracy Works Now DC screenings underway through June 10, we’re thrilled to see coverage of the series in the media.  Arizona’s controversial immigration laws have ignited debate, and the issue of immigration is once again at the forefront of the agenda.

On May 1st, Variety’s Ted Johnson wrote, “Hollywood Turns Focus to Immigration,” citing involvement of the how the arts community, from Jon Stewart to Shakira to “Ugly Betty” cast members, are becoming involved in the immigration issue.

Johnson concludes by asking if the entertainment industry gestures will translate to real change- cites How Democracy Works Now’s DC tour as an important resource for the legislative steps yet to be resolved:

What remains to be seen is whether these works really can help change hearts and minds if Congress takes up the issue soon. As was evident through much of the health care debate, the townhall and Tea Party shouts and volleys overshadowed all else, including the relatively few celebrities who waded in and rallied on Capitol Hill to push reform. To put it mildly, passions on both sides of the immigration debate are no less inflamed, probably more so.

In that regard, in the coming weeks filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini will be screening their multipart “How Democracy Works Now” series in Washington. They spent six years capturing, in cinema verite style, the last concerted effort on Capitol Hill for immigration reform. A portion was shown on HBO in March.

Their project’s narrative culminates with the defeat of that reform in 2007. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either a roadmap for what not to do, or the shape of things to come.

Read the full article here.

If you’re in DC and would like to join for the screenings, we’ve got several dates left – check our schedule here.

We’re pleased to announce the exclusive Washington D.C. tour of How Democracy Works Now!

From May 12th to June 10th, eight films from our series will have their theatrical premiere in downtown Washington. As you know, the series filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini, spent six years filming inside Capitol Hill to create a set of cinema-verité documentaries that together trace the high and low points of the controversial quest for comprehensive immigration reform.

Each of the eight STORIES is a stand-alone feature film.  Together, they trace the evolution of a complicated Grand Bargain, and the evolving roles of players on both sides.  From the heady days before 9/11, through a year inside Senator Sam Brownback’s office, to the competition between upstart House staffers and established Senate offices racing to design an immigration bill, the arc builds to the true story of the last great immigration legislative battles, led by Senator Ted Kennedy, of 2006 and 2007.

The DC screenings are part of HDWN’s national tour, which aims to encourage frank debate and, with its vivid portrayal of an era when bipartisanship was alive, dialogue on the health of our nation’s political system.

Join us for an unflinching look at how America’s democracy really works, and see it as so few do: on the big screen, and from the inside.

EVENT INFORMATION

Dates:                      May 12, 13, 20, 27, 28 June 3, 4, 10

Times:                     7 PM, 9 PM

Location:                 Goethe Institut, 812 7th Street NW (at I Street), Washington, D.C.

Metro: Gallery PL- Chinatown, exit to 7 Street

Tickets:                     Tickets on sale starting April 19: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/tickets

Film Schedule / All screenings at 7:00 and 9:00 pm

Wednesday, May 12, 2010,  7:00 and 9:00 pm

The Game is On

August 2001, and everything seems possible. President Bush aligns with Senators Kennedy and Brownback as they set out to fix America’s immigration system.  After 9/11, momentum stalls as anti-immigrant sentiment grows, playing out on the local level in a fierce City Council election in Mason City, Iowa. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/the-game-is-on

Thursday, May 13, 2010  7:00 and 9:00 pm

Mountains and Clouds

As Senators Kennedy, Brownback, Feinstein, and Kyl join forces on a new Border Security Bill, Congressman Tom Tancredo calls one provision ‘amnesty’ and post-9/11 anti-immigration grassroots organizations come out in force. Senator Robert Byrd has a star turn, and Brownback begins to have doubts. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/mountains-and-clouds

Thursday, May 20, 2010  7:00 and 9:00 pm

Sam in the Snow

The intrigue around the creation of Homeland Security serves as the backdrop for a story about the personal cost of giving up the fight.  Why does a powerful champion, Senator Sam Brownback, move away from an issue he has backed so publicly? Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/sam-in-the-snow

Thursday, May 27, 2010  7:00 and 9:00 pm

The Kids Across the Hill

AZ Republican Congressmen Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, with their 20-something staffers Margaret and Becky, write their own radical immigration bill and derail the well-laid plans of the immigration advocates — and Senate Democrats. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/the-kids-across-the-hill

Friday, May 28, 2010  7:00 and 9:00 pm

Marking Up the Dream

The Dream Act hopes to give kids who were brought to this country illegally, but completed high-school, a chance at in-state tuition and citizenship.  Getting the bill through a Senate markup and on to the floor is an eye-opening lesson about back stage maneuvering and the power of staffers. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/marking-up-the-dream

Thursday, June 3, 2010  7:00 and 9:00 pm

TBA

Friday, June 4, 2010  7:00 and 9:00 pm

The Senate Speaks

Senator Kennedy battles to get his and McCain’s bill to the Senate floor, where the real fight begins.  But with the midterms so close, Senate leaders don’t seem to want a bill.  Advocates smell a double-cross and go public with an attack, as they partner with Kennedy and McCain to get the bill passed. Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/the-senate-speaks

Thursday, June 10, 2010  7:00 and 9:00 pm

Last Best Chance (Director’s Cut of HBO’s The Senators’ Bargain)

Inside the final Senate battle for Kennedy’s dream of immigration reform, below the level of strategy and protocol, we find a moral tale of modern American politics. Senator Edward Kennedy now must decide … how much does he want this deal, and what is he willing to trade for his greatest legacy? Full Description: http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/story/last-best-chance

Tickets on sale starting April 19:  http://www.howdemocracyworksnow.com/tickets

Near the end of the movie, you will see me crying out of frustration during a meeting with Senator Menendez.  Momentum had turned against us and Menendez had just blamed us for the severely flawed Senate bill.  At the same time other immigrant advocacy groups attacked us for continuing to fight for the legislation.

The tears are pretty uncharacteristic for me.  Raul Yzaguirre, the former head of the National Council of La Raza, introduces me to others as the “Asian Tiger” (having been told by his staff that calling me the Asian Dragon is not politically correct).  I’m told I’m pretty intimidating. One of the business lobbyists commented afterward: “You are usually the one who makes other people cry.”

“The groups,” as we are called in the film, decided I should begin the conversation because my organization, the Asian American Justice Center, is the leading advocate for family immigration and a guardian of due process (or the lack thereof) in enforcement policies. Menendez carried the water for both and those were the two issues that had taken the hardest hits in the Senate bill.  My job was explaining why we still supported moving that legislation.

I’m relieved that I was somehow able to be fairly coherent, although I’m still mortified about the tears.

Monday night I sat with close friends and other soldiers in the cause watching the screening of The Senators’ Bargain.   The screening was kicked off by the Senator Kennedy’s widow and partner and there was not a dry eye in the theater by the time the film ended.  Now on HBO On-Demand you get a chance to share in the experience.

The film is a front row seat to how government really works.  When the project first came to life, I was one of the skeptical ones that doubted anyone would be able to make a “cloture” vote interesting.  But perhaps, in a time when cable news regularly discusses the mechanics of  the reconciliation process, there is new attention for how bills become laws or don’t.

For the participants, The Senators’ Bargain is more than a yearbook–it is a eulogy.  As Doug Rivlin wrote, the film made us face our grief  once more that Senator Kennedy is not still with us offering his advice and fighting tooth and nail for reform.  The Lion of the Senate, as Senator Kennedy was often called, is living proof that the notion that everyone is replaceable is poppycock.  Kennedy has not been, nor will he ever be, replaced.

Had it not been for the fact that I spent this past Sunday with 200,000 patriots on the National Mall rallying for comprehensive reform of our broken immigration laws, watching the loss of 2007 would have been unbearable.   Instead, having seen the vibrancy of the immigration reform movement and its beautiful diversity on March 21st, Senator Kennedy’s post-mortem floor speech, in which he assured us that the fight would go on, rang true.

My children– my generation Y focus group — having grown up with me pacing the floors in our home on conference calls with Angie, Frank, Marshall, Cecilia and gang, having UFW black eagle t-shirts in their closets, having been at both the rally in 2006 shown in this episode and at which Kennedy spoke and on March 21st, and having screened the Senators’ Bargain — ask every week “did you pass your bill?”    They simply do not understand the views of those who would deny the women and men who pick our lettuce, clean our houses, and care for them the legal right to work without fear in this country.    They do not understand the delay.

I am hoping this series will lead others to be similarly impatient.