American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies

Mar 17, 2026

0h 40m

★ 0.0

democracy is on the ballot... and the ballot is broken.

Overview

America's democracy feels more divided than ever - but what if the problem lies in how we vote? "American Troubles" explores whether proportional representation could break the cycle of dysfunction, drawing comparisons from two striking case studies: Portland, Oregon, where a bold new voting system is reshaping local politics, and Northern Ireland, where proportional elections helped end decades of violent conflict. Blending history, reform, and human stories, the film shows how electoral rules can entrench division - or create space for compromise.

Genres

History

Documentary

Production Companies

Twisted Scholar

American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies Trailers

Cast

Self

George Cheung

Self

Colin Joseph Cole

Self

Heather Villanueva

The story of the Northern Ireland Troubles through the unflinching testimony of two men who played key roles on opposite sides of that bloody conflict. Nearly ten years ago the two paramilitary leaders told their stories on condition that they could never be revealed while they were still alive. The stories told by the Irish Republican Army's Brendan Hughes and Ulster Volunteer Force's David Ervine tell us of the motivations of the participants, the planning of campaigns of violence, the misery of a hunger strike, the tracking and killing of informers and the duplicity that ended a conflict that had lasted too long. It is also a narrative of the fate of combatants when their wars are over.

7.5

Face Down

Aug 11, 2023

On the 27th of December 1973, a nightmare began for an entire family. On that night, a German businessman called Thomas Niedermayer was kidnapped from his home in Belfast. He was never seen alive again by his friends or family. He became one of the "disappeared", and it seemed that no-one knew what had happened to him.

7.2

Hunger

May 15, 2008

The story of Bobby Sands, the IRA member who led the 1981 hunger strike during The Troubles in which Irish Republican prisoners tried to win political status.

0.0

We Beg to Differ

Jul 14, 2024

In the underground world of diffing, a community finds solace in their passion, as they navigate personal struggles and challenges both on and off the road.

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0.0

The Hunt for the Bomber

Sep 14, 2004

Brighton bomber Patrick Magee talks exclusively to Peter Taylor about how and why he planted a bomb in the Grand Hotel, while intelligence experts and bomb specialists speak for the first time about how they foiled a follow-up campaign on an even more devastating scale.

7.0

Belfast

Nov 12, 2021

Buddy is a young boy on the cusp of adolescence, whose life is filled with familial love, childhood hijinks, and a blossoming romance. Yet, with his beloved hometown caught up in increasing turmoil, his family faces a momentous choice: hope the conflict will pass or leave everything they know behind for a new life.

7.3

Bloody Sunday

Jan 25, 2002

The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops.

0.0

The Day Called X

Dec 8, 1957

Portentously portrays the evacuation of Portland, Oregon, when threatened by a nuclear attack on its state-of-the-art civil defense system.

0.0

X-Ray Visions: A Look Inside Portland's Legendary X-Ray Cafe

Nov 15, 2000

From 1990 to 1994, ground zero for the all-ages, alt-rock scene in Portland was the X-Ray Cafe. Brought to life and operated as a flight of fancy by Benjamin Arthur Ellis and Tres Shannon, the X-Ray was both a critical venue for emerging local and touring bands and hang-out for an amazing array of outcasts, street kids and creative eccentrics of all stripes. When band such as Crackerbash, Sprinkler, Poison Idea, Hell Cows, Smegma, Dead Moon, Hitting Birth, Beat Happenings, Cake, Hole, Green Day or the Spinanes were not on stage, anything from poetry to Spanish lessons to a sewing circle might have connected and entertained the customers. Whether shelter, social or information hub, or music mecca, the X-Ray represented and remains, in age-old fashion, a key chapter in many Portlander's coming of age. Ellis's film, loaded with interviews and performance clips, is a spirited valentine to the craziness and glory of days gone by and to the many who called the X-Ray home.

0.0

The Living Flame

Jan 1, 1966

Commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, commissioned for its 50th anniversary.

5.9

Maze

Sep 22, 2017

Inspired by the true events of the infamous 1983 prison breakout of 38 IRA prisoners from HMP Maze, which was to become the biggest prison escape in Europe since World War II.

0.0

Mairéad Farrell: An Unfinished Conversation

Jan 1, 2014

Mairéad Farrell was shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1988 along with two other unarmed members of the IRA in one of the most controversial incidents arising from the Troubles in Northern Ireland. She had just been released from prison the year before after serving ten years for causing an explosion at an hotel near Belfast. The killing of the three provoked an international outcry and eventual enquiry. Due to her youth, her gender and her stature within the IRA, Mairéad Farrell was, unsurprisingly, quickly subsumed into the pantheon of Irish republican martyrs. But behind the mythologizing and demonisation of the time, there was also a real person, a flesh and blood young woman who was prepared to kill and die for her beliefs.

7.1

Road

Jun 11, 2014

Brothers addicted to speed at any price. Documentary following the motorcycle road racing careers, and fate, of the Dunlop family.

0.0

The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell

Jun 16, 2022

With warmth, wit and honesty, Derry Girls' Jamie-Lee O'Donnell reflects on her childhood experiences and discovers what life's like for young people growing up in Derry today.

0.0

The Brighton Bomb

Sep 14, 2004

It was the most notorious terrorist incident since the Gunpowder Plot - an attempt by the IRA to wipe out the entire UK government on 12 October 1984 as it convened on the south coast. Award-winning journalist Peter Taylor remembers the carnage as special effects and emotional testimony from survivors combine in a tense reconstruction. Followed by The Hunt for the Bomber.

6.7

Zoo

Jun 8, 2018

Young Tom and his misfit friends fight to save 'Buster' the baby elephant during the German air raid bombings of Belfast in 1941.

0.0

Whatever You Say, Say Nothing

Jan 1, 1995

Caroline does not remember living in a time of peace; she has been a young child when the "troubles" in Belfast started. During the 25 years during which the war lasted, she got married and raised three children; and only a few weeks before the ceasefire started she was killed. Since the ceasefire, the situation in Northern Ireland has not changed much: the fear to talk is as big as ever before.

0.0

Cheers! Portland, The Strip Club Capital of America

Sep 12, 2024

Documents the history and politics of a Portland institution: The city's strip clubs.

0.0

History, Mystery & Oyssey: Six Portland Animators

Aug 20, 2023

Martin Cooper’s documentary feature explores the lives and work of six internationally renowned, independent animators and animation directors. These multi-award-winning artists are Jim Blashfield, Rose Bond, Joan C. Gratz, Zak Margolis, Joanna Priestley and Chel White. Their animated films span a period of over 40 years and reflect a wide range of techniques, from direct animation and classic stop-motion, through 3D models, clay painting, computer-generated imagery up to AI. History, Mystery & Odyssey is entirely filmed in Portland Oregon, where all these animators live and work.

0.0

Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story

Sep 7, 2012

In 1978 the Undertones released Teenage Kicks, one of the most perfect and enduring pop records of all time - an adolescent anthem that spoke to teenagers all over the globe. It was the first in a string of hits that created a timeless soundtrack to growing up, making the Undertones one of punk rock's most prolific and popular bands.

American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies Trailers