How Democracy Works Now
Series overview and filmmaker bios with contact information.
How Democracy Works Now
"One of the best and most insightful pieces on the national legislative process in America we have yet encountered."
Marking Up the DREAM: Recalling the DREAM Act in 2003
"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 Senators’ Bargain' - ‘Grand’ Legislation Goes Wrong
"This documentary provides scary insight into the ways of Washington and the expediencies that trump reason and goodwill...“The Senators’ Bargain” is a cautionary tale for those who plan to wage the next battle."
Hollywood turns focus to immigration
"What remains to be seen is whether these works really can help change hearts and minds if Congress takes up the issue soon...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."
Film Shows Kennedy Battle for Immigration Reform
"As Democrats in Washington celebrate the passage of healthcare reform after an arduous battle, a new documentary offers a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and deal-making that goes on as laws are made in Congress."
Heard on the Hill
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. "It really took conscious discipline all the time not to slip," Robertson recalls. Camerini says they filmed the documentaries without interviews, "trying to be a fly on the wall." Eventually, skeptical staffers let their guard down and the pair were so clued in, the Congressional press corps looked to them to track the immigration debate. "They told us, 'Whenever you guys turned up, we knew something was happening,'" Robertson says.
A Focus on Kennedy as Fighter for Reform
“The Senators’ Bargain’’ vividly illustrates what a skilled inside player Kennedy was...[and] this fine documentary also shows the limits of those skills, as the Grand Bargain fell apart amid an increasingly polarized political environment."
HBO Documentary Highlights Tough Battle for Immigration Reform
"Offers a behind-the-scenes look at the messy, frustrating, byzantine effort to steer contentious legislation through the bureaucratic muck of Congress. Its arrival is especially timely, given the torturous health care fight that's finally drawing to a close and the recent talk of resurrecting immigration reform."
HBO Film Documents Immigration Battle
"An insiders’ chronicle of the maneuvering and deal-making in the immigration debate that ended in June 2007 with the collapse of the bill that Mr. Kennedy had championed to the end. A civics lesson on how the sausage of such ambitious legislation is made, the film is also an affectionate portrait of Mr. Kennedy...[and] a eulogy for the bipartisan spirit that Mr. McCain and Mr. Kennedy exude at the start."
Filmmakers Debut HBO Documentary
"The documentary highlights Kennedy at work and in quiet moments; Sens. Robert Menendez, Jon Kyl and then-Sen. Barack Obama have cameos. Robertson and Camerini say they were impressed by the respect other senators — including John McCain and Lindsey Graham — showed Kennedy. Kennedy's framed thank-you note from Trent Lott illustrated it all: “It was at that moment that we really understood what it’s like to be in that club,” Camerini said."