Événement

Crawford presented by the Phoenix Film Festival

Synopsis:

January 2009 will be a time of reflection for the entire country. As America looks to a future of change, the pundits will provide their own spin on what the last 8 years have meant. CRAWFORD, an extraordinary documentary by first-time filmmaker David Modigliani, provides a unique perspective on the Bush presidency: through the eyes of the 705 residents of Crawford, Texas.

In 1999, Governor George W. Bush buys a ranch in Crawford, Texas and calls it "home"; an insular community explodes overnight. Bush declares candidacy for President, using Crawford as the perfect set-piece to project a folksy image. Months later, he thrusts the town of 705 into the spotlight as his token symbol the Presidents "Western White House." Crawford is instantly overrun with international press corps and droves of flocking tourists. Shops open; Main St. booms; the locals watch themselves on national TV.

But soon, the towns compelling characters feel the human impact of political stagecraft. The spotlight exacerbates tensions between freethinking and conformity, pushing a progressive teacher and her favorite student to the edge and beyond. In 2004, the town newspaper endorses John Kerry; its promptly boycotted. By 2005, the Presidents mounting problems follow him home. The conservative community finds itself hosting Cindy Sheehan's peace movement. 20,000 impassioned protestors and counter-protestors battle on Crawford's tiny streets. The symbol begins to change.

Now, the Crawford's boom is busting like the Presidency itself. Tourists have stopped coming; land is overvalued; the bumper sticker and trinket shops are boarded up. But seven years of political stagecraft have made a graver human impact. Left to deal with the aftermath are the real people of Crawford. Their lives are changed forever. And their story is our own.