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The AFI Docs Festival is an annual film festival put on by the American Film Institute, usually in June in and around Washington, D.C. This year, the festival took place virtually, but perhaps unsurprisingly, several of the most prominent films touched on politics, including some with similarities to current events.

This year's festival wrapped up Sunday night; here are reviews of five of the most prominent films:

White Noise

A-

There have been several documentaries made about the ideological conditions that laid the ground for the Trump era, but White Noise, directed by Daniel Lombroso, may be the most illuminating. The director spent four years embedded with the alt-right, granted extraordinary access to three main subjects: "Dapper Nazi" Richard Spencer, masculinity guru-turned-political troublemaker Mike Cernovich, and white nationalist YouTuber Lauren Southern.

Lombroso spends the film's 90 minutes traveling the world with these three people, who are constantly flying to conferences, rallies or, in Southern's case, a weird adventure trying to block migrants in theMediterranean Sea. There are a few key takeaways: Spencer and Cernovich seem to hate one another, Southern clearly stole her schtick from Ann Coulter, down to the last vocal mannerism, and Spencer is a singularly pathetic figure who, despite a massive amount of media coverage, never actually led a movement of any significant size.By the end, hes living with his mother in Montana.

A weakness of the long lead time is the none of the three subjects can really be considered major figures in the alt-right today, and all three talk at one point or another about their desire to get out of political commentary altogether. But the films notable for its lack of didacticismit just allows its subjects to speak, without the talking heads or spooky music that tends to derail this sort of documentary.

Women in Blue

B

The festival's most timely documentary isDeirdre Fishel's Women in Blue, a film covering the Minneapolis Police Department, and dealing with issues of race, as well as violence and misconduct in that department. Consider it a spiritual prequel to everything we've seen in the past four weeks.

Women in Blue focuses on Janee Harteau, who at the time was serving as Minneapolis' first female police chief. The documentary also depicts other women in the MPD, against the backdrop of multiple controversial police-involved shootings. It's a compelling look at modern-day policing from a perspective not often seen in modern-day popular culture, though 2016's Do Not Resist remains the definitive documentary on that subject.

I knew that Harteau resigned in 2017, following the police shooting ofJustine Damond, but I figured the documentary would lead up to her resignation. Instead, it happens about one third of the way through. In the meantime, we see some now-familiar faces, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Freyseen admonished, in a mayoral debate, about not being tough enough on police misconductand the controversial police union head Bob Kroll. Women in Blue gives us some early clues that there was something dreadfully wrong going on in the Minneapolis Police Department.

Boys State

B+

If you were hoping that when it comes to politics, the youth of today will save us, and institute a more enlightened era than the one bequeathed to them by their parents, Boys State may disabuse you of that notion.

The doc, a Sundance debut that will appear on Apple TV+ later this year, takes a look at Texas Boys State, an annual leadership conference in Austin in which teenaged Texans act out the legislative process. Directed byAmanda McBaine andJesse Moss, Boys State follows six participants, of various political persuasions that run the gamut from liberal to reactionary. The participants are well-chosen, as they navigate a process that resembles Lord of the Flies, had it been set in a state legislature. They also seem equally inspired by Karl Rove, and by WWE, as they re-create Daniel Bryan's "Yes" chant.

Boys State is exceptionally produced and edited, from what must have been a gargantuan amount of footage. But it shows that, whether it's extremism or cynicism, the politicians of tomorrow aren't likely to differ from those of today.

Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn

B-

There was already a documentary about Roy Cohn, called Where's My Roy Cohn? which came out less than a year ago. That film, directed byMatt Tyrnauer,both ran through Cohn's well-told life story, and examined his ties to Donald Trump, including the lessons that the President likely learned from his former mentor.

Now,Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn, which does all of that as well. The twist is that this one was directed by Ivy Meeropol, the daughter of the Rosenbergs, whose conviction and execution was, in part, engineered by Cohn. The film showed at AFI Docs ahead of its premiere on HBO last week.

Taking its title from the inscription on Cohn's square of theAIDS Memorial Quilt, Meeropol's film features covers much of the same ground asTyrnauer's doc, including the Trump stuff, Cohn's regular appearances on talk shows, and his death from AIDS. The biggest difference is the testimony of the director's father and uncle, as well as some footage of Nathan Lane playing Cohn in the Broadway revival of Angels in America.

Meeropol already made a documentary in 2004, Heir to an Execution, about her family's story, which was notable in that it depicted them coming to terms with the revelations that Julius Rosenberg really did spy for the Soviets. While a worthwhile examination of Cohn's life, Bully. Coward. Victim is less compelling than either the earlier Cohn doc, or Heir to an Execution.

Jimmy Carter: Rock n Roll President

B

Here's one that's about exactly what its title says it's about. Directed byMary Wharton, the film explores the musical side of the 39th president, from the gospel music he grew up listening to in Georgia to his embrace by various rock and country stars once he became a national political figure. This would seem a thin reed to hang an entire documentary on, but the filmmakers have collected talking heads from Bob Dylan to Willie Nelson to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, in addition to Carter himself.There's also a lot of footage of Johnny Cash,although we learn that, despite years of insisting otherwise, Carter may not have really been June Carter Cash's cousin.

There are fun stories, likely to be enjoyed by anyone who's interested in the music or the politics of the late-1970s, although the movie omits that great but possibly apocryphal story, often told by Arlo Guthrie,about Chip Carter finding "Alice's Restaurant" in the White House record library, and noticing that the song, much like the gap in the Watergate tapes, was 18 and a half minutes.The film will air on CNN later this year.

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Five Political Films at the 2020 AFI Docs Festival - Splice Today

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Aaron Barmer stands across the street from the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center in Staunton for the seventh day in a row on Friday, June 19, 2020 in protest the hotel being named after a confederate general.(Photo: Monique Calello/The News Leader)

STAUNTON It's been a week since Aaron Barmer began standing outside the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center in protest of the hotel being named after a confederate general.

He and a group of protestors come to the hotel during check-in time between 4 and 6 p.m. every day. While some of the protestors masked faces might change from day to day, Barmer is always there.

It's also been one week since he and Arrow Kilbourn, who also protests daily, sent an email to Staunton City Council asking them to make a public statement showing support for the hotel's owner decision to change the name. Three days went by and the only person to respond was Ophie Kier as an outgoing member of city council.

More: Stonewall Jackson Hotel owners pledge to change Confederate name

Outgoing city council member and Vice Mayor Ophie Kier spoke to a crowd in Staunton at a rally for George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes.(Photo: Patrick Hite/The News Leader)

"Much has happened in our nation, our state and city in recent weeks. To say this is an understatement. With the viewing of an American citizen being killed by several police officers on national TV, around the world there has been an awakening in those that have suffered at the hands of oppression for generations, even centuries.

"For far too long Black America has done what was necessary to keep peace everywhere we live. While we mourn the taking of George Floyds life there are far too many others that have not been mentioned and even more forgotten. Unless and until we come to the understanding that there would be no America as we know it without the strength, endurance, genius and will to survive of that enslaved human we will sadly not grow. We shall not survive.

"The contribution of those enslaved people are far too numerous to mention and the use of statues and naming of properties that was done to intimidate must come to an end.

I am one however that knows we cannot erase history and feel that the place for these are in museums so that I may teach my grandson what evil looks like.

"The names on buildings such as the Stonewall Jackson Hotel must be changed."

Ophie A. Kier

The Stonewall Jackson Hotel in downtown Staunton.(Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)

On Friday, Barmer had a conversation with owner of Mill Street Grill and Staunton City CouncilmanTerry Holmes, who explained to him some of the many moving parts that are going to be involved in the process of changing the hotel's name.

"It seems like the company continues to be in motion in making this happen," Barmer said. "There may be a need for historic preservation to sign off on some things."

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Barmer urged Holmes to lead a statement and make sure city council puts out a statement that they acknowledge the name change andare working to expedite the process."

"And most of all that they support what we're trying to do."

On Juneteenth Day, the City of Staunton republished their statement on racial justice they posted the previous week.

"But absent from that was anything looking like a solution," said Barmer. "And to me, we're a solution for making good on that statement."

Staunton City Council full statement here.

Barmer said the name change is under city council review per his discussion with Holmes.Holmes told him that it's going to take some time to coordinate with the hotel owners and to figure out what the ramifications are for historic preservation certification and codes.

"I reiterated to himthat whatever the story is with that, it cannot be an excuse," said Barmer. "Historic preservation codes cannot have priority over the removal of a confederate general's name over the Staunton skyline."

The group of citizens protestingare looking to Holmes totake the lead in city councilissuing a public statement specific to the name change for the Stonewall Jackson Hotel.

"We need to see that the city, not just the company, is taking seriously their recent statement on supporting racial justice in Staunton," Barmer said. "This is an excellent opportunity for them to demonstrate that. Transparency is going to have to be the way of the walk here."

The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee stands in the center of the renamed Emancipation Park on Aug. 22, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. A decision to remove the statue caused a violent protest by white nationalists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and members of the 'alt-right'. (Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)

The protestors have been met with mixed reactions.

More: Area reacts to proposed name change of Stonewall Jackson Hotel

Barmer is paying attention to the traffic on social media to see how their stories and photos of them are being shared.

"I'm seeing numerous indications that confederate-minded people, whether here or further abroad connected through social media that there's a lot of complaints," said Barmer. "I did see one comment that the hotel should come out with guns and scare us off."

"They ought to take out a gun and tell them get the heck out," commented Laurie Gleason Roy in the Northern Confederates Facebook group.

"Tell these people to take a walk over a mine field," commented Karl Blake in the Confederate Keepers Facebook group.

"Had the South won the war, none of this nonsense would be happening today," commented Jason Ford.

While the protestors have been met with negative reactions from those in favor of keeping the name, they have also been met with support from those who want the name of the hotel changed and the red neon sign with the confederate general's name down.

As of June 19, Barmer has not received any direct threats, but did say he's seen himself named in a few groups.

As of Monday night, Council member Holmes hasn't gotten back to Barmer with an update.

More: Every Confederate monument taken down in Virginia in 2020

More: Confederate-named roads around Staunton. What would it take to change them?

More: As Richmond's Confederate statues go, so might the South's

More: 'We all know it's time': Northam directs removal of Robert E. Lee statue

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Reporter Monique Calello can be reached at mcalello@newsleader.com and on Twitter @moniquecalello.

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Stonewall Jackson Hotel: 'The use of statues and naming of properties that was done to intimidate must come to an end.' - The News Leader

They dont believe a word I say. They decided Im a liar. They want me to be a liar.

Midway through Sitting in Limbo, a recent feature-length drama from the BBC, Anthony Bryan (Patrick Robinson) articulates a fury with the British government shared by many Caribbean-born Britons over the last eight years.

Written by Mr. Bryans half brother, Stephen S. Thompson, the 90-minute drama offers an intimate and fictionalized account of how a 2012 government policy with the stated aim of creating a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants in Britain upended Mr. Bryans life, as well as the lives of thousands of other legal residents of the country, in what became known as the Windrush scandal.

Id like it to concentrate peoples mind on the fact that the Windrush scandal is ongoing, Mr. Thompson said in a recent phone interview. Despite a number of documentaries and books and articles, it being a national scandal, it was in danger of fading off the scene completely, he added.

In Sitting in Limbo, we meet Mr. Bryan in 2016, at which point he had been living in Britain for 50 years, a grandfather working as a painter and decorator in Edmonton, North London. We see him suddenly labeled an illegal immigrant, unable to get work, and arrested. The cost of applying for a passport almost tips him into destitution, as he and his partner are forced to move and face the looming threat of deportation to Jamaica, a country Mr. Bryan left at the age of 8.

This is the very human cost of the decision by the future prime minister Theresa May, when she was the cabinet minister responsible for immigration rules, to impose tough new requirements for people not born in Britain to prove their legal status. The policy left thousands of U.K. residents from former British colonies in the Caribbean mistakenly classified as being in Britain illegally.

In 1948, a passenger liner called Empire Windrush carried some of the thousands of colonial subjects who had been invited to rebuild Britain following World War II. They became known as the Windrush generation and under the law at the time had an automatic right to settle. Many children arrived on their parents passports. The government did not keep track of those arriving from the Caribbean, and in 2010, landing cards recording arrivals were destroyed. As a result, come the 2010s, thousands of people were unable to provide paperwork to prove they were in the country legally under Mrs. Mays new rules.

On Twitter last week, Priti Patel, the current holder of Mrs. Mays old post as home secretary, said the drama epitomizes the unimaginable suffering endured by the Windrush generation and apologized. An hour before the films release, Ms. Patel invited Mr. Bryan to join a video call, The Guardian reported, which he declined.

For Mr. Thompson, this is all lip service. Last week, Britains human rights watchdog said it would assess the hostile environment policy, but none of the measures that led to the Windrush scandal have been revoked. Many people are still awaiting compensation from the governments 200 million hardship fund. Some have received little compensation for years of being unable to work, and others have since died.

For Glenda Caesar, 58, watching Sitting in Limbo revived traumatic memories of her own experiences over the last few years. His mental breakdown was them coming and knocking the door, she said in a phone interview, referring to Mr. Bryan. But mine was more of a depressive mode, trying to accumulate paperwork that I couldnt find, which the government had destroyed.

Having arrived in Britain as a three-month-old child from Dominica in 1961, Ms. Caesar fought for the right to remain in the country for years as she faced unemployment and mounting debt after being classified as an illegal immigrant.

Filming of Sitting in Limbo began late last year, and the release was then delayed by the global coronavirus pandemic. But in many ways, Mr. Thompson said, the timing couldnt be better, given that in the last month Black Lives Matter protests have sprung up across the world following the killing of George Floyd.

For decades, the legacy of Britains empire has created fault lines across race and economic class. These tensions have revealed themselves in the racial abuse hurled at Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, by British tabloids, and, more recently, in the toppling of a statue of a slave trader by Black Lives Matter protesters.

In Sitting in Limbo, Mr. Bryan is forced to gather the paper trails of his life. As his story evolves, we see him motivated by a desire for belonging and for some validation of his dual identity. In the dramas final act, when he shows his new British passport to his partner, Janet McKay-Williams (Nadine Marshall), she can only muster a single sigh.

If youd asked me how I felt whilst we were making the film, Mr. Thompson said, when asked what it meant to be a black man in Britain, I would have said At least I live in a country which allows me the opportunity to tell this story and reach a wide audience.

But now, hes reassessing. The publics response to the film on social media and in his inbox praise, but also outrage at the continuing scandal and Britains structural racism has given him more to think about, he said: As a writer, but also as a black Briton, where do I go from here? What stories do I want to tell next?

Continue reading here:
Dramatizing the Human Toll of a U.K. Political Scandal - The New York Times

A Latina woman who supports the Black Lives Matter movement and a white Trump supporter stare each other down as they argue about race. (Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)

TULSA Dozens of conservatives wearing stars-and-stripes sunglasses and Make America Great Again hats gathered in a street in downtown Tulsa Saturday night.

A few wore Trump 2020 face masks, but most had no face coverings.

Just after 7 p.m., the crowd huddled around a boy holding a megaphone that broadcast President Donald Trumps speech live from the BOK Center three blocks away. A man next to the boy held up his cellphone for all to see a video of Trump speaking.

These Trump supporters didnt gain entrance to the event because barricade gates had been shut down. But they cheered, clapped and laughed together as they listened and watched from the streets.

A Georgia woman in the group said she felt supported by the strangers around her. She felt free to express her views openly.

A dead battery cut off the broadcast. As the crowd waited for the video to restart, a new sound filled the street. A mass of protesters marched toward the crowd with Black Lives Matter signs and a chant of Go home racists.

Tensions had been building since the announcement that Trumps campaign was hitting the road again and the first event would be in Tulsa, not far from where a 1921 race massacre had occurred. The rally was supposed to be on June 19, or Juneteenth, which celebrates the emancipation of slaves, but after an outcry, Trump rescheduled the event for June 20.

Clashes between Trump supporters and protesters popped up sporadically Saturday outside a barrier surrounding the BOK Center. People on both sides yelled, sometimes in each others faces, but no violence erupted.

Oklahoma Watch

A young Latina woman stared up at a tall white man in a Keep America Great hat as she tried to explain why protesters were calling Trump supporters racist. She was tired of fighting for her friends, for herself, and for change. How could someone not see the injustices?

The man said he couldnt take the Black Lives Matter movement seriously because of the violence and looting at recent protests across the nation. He was tired of having to defend Trump and his own policy views. How could someone think he was racist?

The pair began talking calmly for several minutes and then went their separate ways.

People drove hours and even flew for the first time in months to see Trump speak at his first campaign rally since COVID-19 shut down much of the country.

The rally likely the largest public gathering since the pandemic hit the country hard drew thousands from across the nation and some international visitors.

A Black college student from Texas said he was nervous about being exposed to the virus. But he felt it was worth the risk to speak up, and stand up, for Black lives. Like many protesters, he wore a mask as he marched.

Trump supporters from Canada, Florida and Illinois said they believe the virus has been over-hyped. Most people at the rally did not wear masks.

Many were there to have fun, to make new, like-minded friends and to show their support, including Angelica Austin.

When she was 6, Austins mother sneaked her unlawfully into the United States from Mexico. Austin was born in Poland, and communist rule had drained the economy, she said. There was no money, and jobs and food were scarce.

I remember her having to wait for bread in line at 5 oclock in morning, Austin said. She wanted something better for us.

Austin and her mother lived in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants for eight years until they were granted amnesty under President Ronald Reagans Immigration Reform and Control Act. After a decade and endless paperwork, they became citizens.

The road was long and hard, but worth all of the efforts, Austin said.

Still, she opposes illegal immigration. Im grateful to my mother for what she did, but I dont think people should come here illegally, Austin said. Its not fair to everyone else.

This week, Austin, 45, who lives in a Chicago suburb, made the 10-hour drive to Tulsa to show her support for Trump and his immigration policies, which she said protect American citizens.

People who come here illegally take the jobs of people that have been working here to build their lives, Austin said.

Austin was camped out with her 13-year-old daughter Zoe to make sure they gained admission to Trumps rally. They were joined by two sisters from Kansas who met them in line for the rally; they were taking turns saving their spots. Two nights of camping turned out to be unnecessary, as the event center didnt fill to capacity.

It didnt matter though. It was fun being with our people, Austin said. And it was nice to get out of the house after months of stay-at-home orders, she said.

We just wanted to get out and see how other people are living, Austin said.

Safety from the virus and potential violence drove some protesters to organize away from downtown. Tulsas Black Lives Matter chapter gathered at John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, which was dedicated in the hope of reconciliation and cooperation for Tulsa and the nation, according to the John Hope Franklin Center website.

In Veterans Park, about a mile away from the arena, the Tulsa Rally Against Hate took place offering a space to those who dont support Trump and his policies.

Groups sat on patches of grass in the muggy afternoon heat. Homemade signs with phrases like Together we are stronger than Trump were held up in the air. People cheered through cloth masks and clapped as speakers talked about racism, sexism and peace.

Landon Thomas sat in a corner of the park with two of his friends. With a bucket hat strapped to his head, Thomas held up a Rally For Justice poster.

Thomas, a veterinary assistant, discussed race as one of the primary issues he was rallying for. Because of his Native American heritage, Thomas said he stands with those who are oppressed.

Daniel Pearl, right, a supporter of President Donald Trump, questions protesters as he waits to enter a safety barricade for Trumps campaign rally Saturday in Tulsa. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP)

While the tone of conversation in the park was heavy, the rally itself was light. People played music, talked, ate and cheered together. It became a kind of social justice picnic.

Eugene Moore, 56, of Oklahoma City, and his 17-year-old daughter, Journey, wore Black Lives Matter masks as they marched in downtown Tulsa Saturday night.

The protest wasnt about Trump or Trump supporters specifically, said Moore, who wore an I cant breathe shirt, in reference to the recent death of George Floyd during an arrest by police. It was a chance for Blacks to be heard by people who dont believe racism is a problem or that police brutality exists, he said.

I dont care about Trump. I dont care about Biden, Moore said. I care about justice for our children, and were going to continue to fight until we get it.

As an armed security guard for an events company, Moore said he works with police often. But while his professional experiences have been good, his personal experiences with police have been difficult.

On one occasion, Moore said he was pulled over by a gang enforcement agent in Oklahoma City who harassed him and called him names. The agent did not explain why he thought Moore was associated with a gang. Moore said after the agent checked his identification, he was allowed to leave.

On another night, Moore was pulled over driving home from work. He told the officer he was armed because he had just ended a shift working security. Moore said the officer froze for a moment, then quickly reached for his gun. Another officer at the scene jumped in and talked the officer into putting his weapon away. Moore was allowed to leave.

The thought of what could have happened compels Moore to speak out.

Its these types of things that are going on in our community, he said, and we can no longer stand by and ask people, peacefully, to please stop killing us.

Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that produces in-depth and investigative content on a wide range of issues facing the state. For more Oklahoma Watch content, go to oklahomawatch.org.

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Trump rally: What drove them to be there? - Journal Record

Protests over police violence had eclipsed concern over the coronavirus for several weeks, but last week brought some renewed focus on the pandemic, which, despite Trumps best attempts to move past it, remains stubbornly present. The numbers of people testing positive are skyrocketing now in prospective November swing states, including Arizona, North Carolina, and even Texas. (The virus likely had some effect on the turnout at the rally in Tulsa too: Trumps base is still excited about him, but many supporters seemed rightfully wary about attending an event that required signing a waiver of liability for sickness.) On Thursday, the Labor Department announced that 1.5 million new unemployment claims had been filed in the preceding week, another sign that the rapid recovery Trump has heralded isnt coming.

The past week also dealt Trump several setbacks in court. On Monday morning, the Supreme Courtin a 63 decision written by Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointeeruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ people from employment discrimination. The Trump administration had argued that the law didnt apply to this population, and the government appeared to be caught off guard by the ruling. Three days later, the Court ruled that the presidents cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was invalid because he hadnt followed proper procedures.

Each of these decisions was a blow to the administration, because it went against the position staked out by the executive branch. The DACA case undermines Trumps promises to get tough on illegal immigration, though he went wobbly on Dreamers long ago. But the twin defeats have additional political ramifications, given that both are also major disappointments for conservatives.

The president has argued that his power to select Supreme Court justices is the ultimate reason why conservatives who are otherwise wary of him must support him. Trump can try to use these defeats to argue that giving him another term is essential, because new Supreme Court appointments seem likely in the next four years. But the losses may also undermine enthusiasm. Despite his two appointments to the Court already, he lost these two casesand his own pick wrote the Civil Rights Act decision. Do you get the impression the Supreme Court doesnt like me? Trump whined on Twitter. Its not the cry of a winner.

On Saturday, Trump suffered another loss in a lower court, where a judge refused to block the release of former National Security Adviser John Boltons damning memoir, saying that because the book had already shipped, the damage is done.

David A. Graham: John Bolton plumbs the depths of Trumps depravity

No kidding. Boltons memoirwhich leaked on Wednesdayis full of horrifying news about Trumps handling of national security. Bolton writes of a Trump who makes every decision with an eye to his reelection campaign, for whom obstruction of justice [was] a way of life, and who shrugged at Chinese concentration camps for Uighurs. In interviews, Bolton has said that Trump is unfit for office. Bolton, whose politics might appropriately be described as severely conservative, has even vowed to vote against Trump in 2020.

Read more from the original source:
The Night Trump Stopped Trying - The Atlantic