HBO Documentary Captures Obama Campaign
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Eleventh Hour has learned what originally began as a look at an up-and-coming political leaders during the 2004 Democratic National Convention has now become a historical documentary about our 44th President Barack Obama. Titled “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama,” will premiere Tuesday night, only on HBO.
Inspired filmmakers Alicia Sams and Amy Rice were looking to create a piece about Senator Obama but received no response from the Obama camp until they joined forces with actor Ed Norton. With Norton attached as a producer, filming was granted in 2006, a year prior to Obama announcing his candidacy in February 2007. There were multiple moments early in the project where filming was almost shutdown due to concerns of information leaking or aides of Obama felt uneasy but Obama stood strong behind the project to let it continue.
Rice and Sams let you into the Obama support team, introducing the dedicated staff that supported the now president along his campaign. As Obama gained momentum with his early victory in the Iowa caucuses, the filmmakers could see the rise for support snowball into something special. At that point they knew their film had the chance to be a part of history.
The film allows a unique viewpoint during an Obama speech the evening before election night, after the future president had learned of his grandmother passing on, only a day before he achieved his supreme dream. Rice’s intimate footage is able to catch a tear fall down Obama’s face during his speech, not seen by other news cameras.
On the night of the election Rice chose to follow Obama’s campaign designers, David Axelrod and David Plouffe. Although the aides were continually cautious about the documentary idea, Rice captured the celebratory moment when Axelrod and Plouffe joined the newly elected president in his hotel suite.
The documentary takes a special behind-the-scenes look at a landmark moment in our nations history however the timing of the release may be in question. Many people still question Obama being awarded recently for the Nobel Peace Prize. Alicia Sams puts it best when describing their film looking to stand the test of time.
“The reaction is going to change on any given day and that’s OK. What we want is the movie to stand the test of time.”
Matt Suttner will be tuning into, “By The People: The Election of Barack Obama” tomorrow evening to reminise the historic journey and election.
