Acorn and the Firestorm

Apr 23, 2017

1h 24m

★ 5.0

•REC

Overview

For 40 years, the community-organizing group ACORN advocated for America’s poorest communities, while its detractors accused it of promoting the worst of liberal policies. Riding high on the momentum of Barack Obama’s presidential victory in 2008, ACORN was at its political zenith when a hidden-camera video sparked a national scandal and brought it crashing down. The story involves voter fraud, a fake prostitute, and the rise of Breitbart.com.

Genres

History

Documentary

Drama

Production Companies

First Run Features

Acorn and the Firestorm Trailers

Cast

Self (archive footage)

Barack Obama

Self - Blogger (archive footage)

Andrew Breitbart

Self (archive footage)

James O’Keefe

Self

Hannah Giles

Self - ACORN CEO

Bertha Lewis

Self (archive footage)

Darrell Issa

George W. Bush picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney's impressive résumé includes stints as White House chief of staff, House Minority Whip and Defense Secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the world.

7.3

Frost/Nixon

Oct 15, 2008

For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harboured doubts about their boss's ability to hold his own. But as the cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted.

7.0

Thirteen Days

Dec 25, 2000

The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962—the nuclear standoff with the USSR sparked by the discovery by the Americans of missile bases established on the Soviet-allied island of Cuba.

8.0

Herod's Law

Nov 9, 1999

In the 1940s, a small Mexican town has seen its last three mayors assassinated in rapid succession. A naive janitor is recruited to become the new mayor, and he believes he will modernize the little town and usher in a reign of peace. But the system corrupts him very quickly, and he takes to abusing his power while associating with an unscrupulous assortment of opportunists, hypocrites and criminals.

7.6

Peacetime

Aug 14, 2009

Rio de Janeiro, April 18, 1945. Brazil's foreign policy aligns closely with that of the United States and opens a brief period of democratic rule after the end of World War 2. For years, hundreds of people were arrested and tortured by the Vargas regime. But with the external pressure, several political prisoners gain freedom.

8.5

The Plan

Apr 20, 2017

Let's look back at the 18th presidential vote. The 13,500 ballot boxes were taken to 251 ballot count locations and were sorted by 1,300 automatic ballot openers. The chairman announced the sorted data and soon it was announced to the public. But something strange happened. The 251 ballot count locations found 'a number' that have the same pattern. Scientists, mathematicians, statistician and hackers from all over the country start looking into the secret of 'this number'. The result is tremendously shocking...

5.3

Sea Sorrow

Nov 8, 2017

A very personal and dynamic meditation on the current global refugee crisis through the eyes and voices of campaigners, specially children, where past and present establish a dialogue. A reflection on the importance of human rights.

6.8

Reign of Terror

Oct 15, 1949

The French Revolution, 1794. The Marquis de Lafayette asks Charles D'Aubigny to infiltrate the Jacobin Party to overthrow Maximilian Robespierre, who, after gaining supreme power and establishing a reign of terror ruled by death, now intends to become the dictator of France.

7.2

The Edukators

Oct 25, 2004

Three activists cobble together a kidnapping plot after they encounter a businessman in his home.

5.8

This Is Our Land

Jan 25, 2017

Pauline, a devoted and generous home help nurse, raises her two children alone, while also looking after her father, a former steelworker. Taking advantage of her popularity, the directors of an extremist political party suggest she become their candidate at the mayoral elections.

10.0

Absent Now the Dead

Jan 8, 2021

The ghost of a soldier from the Trojan War travels through the ruins of the ancient world to confront a council of tyrants who make war on reason. A film dramatizing the ancient relevance of protest over power. Available Now on: watch.eventive.org

0.0

Voter

Jun 21, 2019

Gautam is an NRI who returns to India to cast his vote. When challenged by the woman he loves, Bhavana, to make a politician fulfil his campaign promises if he wants to win her over, Gautam sets off on a path to change the system.

7.7

Good Morning

May 12, 1959

A lighthearted take on director Yasujiro Ozu’s perennial theme of the challenges of intergenerational relationships, Good Morning tells the story of two young boys who stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set. Ozu weaves a wealth of subtle gags through a family portrait as rich as those of his dramatic films, mocking the foibles of the adult world through the eyes of his child protagonists. Shot in stunning color and set in a suburb of Tokyo where housewives gossip about the neighbors’ new washing machine and unemployed husbands look for work as door-to-door salesmen, this charming comedy refashions Ozu’s own silent classic I Was Born, But . . . to gently satirize consumerism in postwar Japan.

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7.5

Changing the Conversation: America's Gun Violence Epidemic

Invalid Date

Re-framing the U.S. gun violence debate from Second Amendment rights to public health prevention.

0.0

Storming the Capitol: The Inside Story

Jan 12, 2021

Captures the incident of January 6, 2021, when scores of Trump supporters clashed with police, interrupting a constitutional process by Congress to affirm the victory of the then President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the election.

0.0

El apagón: Aquí vive gente

Sep 16, 2022

“El Apagón: Aquí Vive Gente” is a documentary directed by Bad Bunny and Blanca Graulau. This 23-minute film explores the socio-economic challenges in Puerto Rico, focusing on the effects of power outages and gentrification driven by the real estate and energy sectors. Through visuals and personal stories, the documentary highlights the experiences of Puerto Rican communities facing these issues.

8.0

Orange Revolution

Apr 1, 2007

Filmmaker Steve York explores the controversial 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, during which candidate Viktor Yushchenko suffered a near-fatal poisoning and his unpopular opponent, Viktor Yanukovych, was declared the winner. In the aftermath, more than a million people -- including the ailing Yushchenko -- took to the streets of Kiev, protesting the results that contradicted exit polls showing Yushchenko with an impressive lead.