IndyStar.com

August 15, 2006
Now that you've seen Pirates of the Caribbean ...
Posted by Matt Tully

Matt Dunn, a publicist from New York, called today to talk about a Indianapolis-based documentary.

The documentary, called "By the People," tells the story of American elections. To tell it, filmmakers spent weeks in Indianapolis in 2004, documenting that year's elections.

Dunn called because the movie will be showing next week, Aug. 23 and 24, at the Keystone Art Cinema. The movie will play at 7:30 p.m. each night. You don't need advance tickets.

Now, you might be asking why the filmmakers chose Indianapolis. Well, director Malindi Fickle is a North Central High School grad. Though now based in New York, Fickle had connections at the City-County Building and was given full access to the elections process.

I saw a rough cut of the film late last year. It was quite interesting and entertaining, and showed in funny and serious ways how important volunteers are to the success of U.S. elections. If that isn't enough for you, the New York Times also gave the film a favorable review recently.

Marion County Clerk Doris Anne Sadler is the movie's star, but a wide range of other local politicos -- from both sides of the aisle -- also make appearances. For more information, click here.