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What people are saying about By the People…

By the People is more than a documentary; it's a much-needed reminder of our civic duty -- a shared responsibility that has long been taken for granted. I, for one, am extremely grateful for this film.

Daniel Peres, Editor-in-Chief, Details

By The People is an inside look at the volunteer efforts required to run our electoral process. If you're worried about new voting machines, chads and electoral fraud, add a new fear to your list. We are 500,000 volunteers short for the defining election of 2008. Makes you understand that a democracy indeed hinges upon volunteer service.

Geralyn Dreyfous, Executive Producer of the Academy 
Award winning film,
"Born into Brothels"
 

As a lawyer and lifetime political activist, I never had any idea of what really goes into managing the election process.  That it is essentially a volunteer effort speaks volumes about a participatory democracy; that they actually pull it off is a miracle. By the People really opened my eyes.

Kenneth B. Frank, Lawyer  

Everything about By The People left me stunned.  I cannot believe what it takes to put on an election.  The simple acts of kindness in this film and the dedication to ensure that each of us has a voice at the end of the day was beyond moving. This film should be shown in every school in America. 

Beth O’ Neal, Producer

By the People is a groundbreaking documentary. To say it should be seen by all Americans is not a strong enough tribute. It must be seen. If you truly care about democracy in America, you'll see this eye-opening, non-partisan film about our nation's presidential election process, filtered through the lens of one county in Indiana.

Nelson Avidon, Playwright/Actor, Actor’s Studio

I have spent a great many years involved in national presidential politics both as a staff member of a candidate and as a television producer. I have also voted in every presidential election, most primaries and most mid-term elections but I NEVER knew anything about what it takes to put on an election. I found your documentary absolutely fascinating. It makes me want to volunteer this fall to work at the polls. I have great admiration for Doris Ann Sadler and her team for their efforts to make democracy work in Marion county and for you and your team for making such an important documentary about it Americans need to know!

Ann Garfield Black, Campaign Worker

Everyone who is, was, or is going to be a voter should see this brilliant film!

Rachel Avidon, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Everyone who cares about the democratic process in this country needs to see this film. By The People makes the audience pay attention to the process that elects our governments: local, state and federal. It diagrams what makes our votes countable and count. It shows how vulnerable our right to vote is without the participation of each voting age citizen.

Sharon Gurman Socol, Photographer/ Activist

A brilliantly executed film that made me laugh and made me very angry. I'm inspired to get up and become involved and not remain seated with frustration.

Sarah Wynter, Actress

By the People gives you a behind the scenes look at what goes into preparing for an election. With all of the controversy surrounding elections, you come away with a much deeper understanding of all of the challenges.

Ira Peppercorn, Former Deputy of Federal Housing Commissioner

By the People should be seen by every high school kid in the country…to experience how each one of us really plays a role in making our democracy work. I was clueless about the enormous behind the scenes effort that goes into the ensuring we can all vote...the film was eye-opening...and fun to watch, too.

Joanne Roberts, Producer /Teacher

What an amazing film, and what an important effort. Really, I have always been thankful for those people I see at my polling place, volunteering year after year…Now I feel guilty that I'm not one of them! Thank you for making this wonderful film.

Jane Gennaro, Writer/ Performance Artist

The reality of staging a city-wide election is a completely foreign concept to the general public.  By the People is a startling view inside a process that everyone I know takes for granted.  However, I dare them to continue to do that armed with this kind of knowledge-

everyone’s going to be blown away by this information.

Carey Socol Kregsman, Guidance Counselor and College Advisor, Hunter High School, NYC

By the People offers a glimpse into the workings of an election and reminds us of the negative power of apathy.  The film’s message of GET INVOLVED, regardless of personal politics, is something that our students need to hear clearly and from multiple perspectives.  The results of apathy are apparent not only in the percentage of American voters who don’t vote, but also in the number of citizens who respond to the call of being election volunteers.

                                                            Giovanna Assenso-Termini, HS Teacher, NYC

My wife and I were amazed by the film.  While we both have volunteered in elections and are active in politics, we were surprised the process itself could produce such a compelling narrative!  This film shows the story of democracy from an angle seldom seen… illustrating the person nature of our democracy by telling an engaging story about the people behind the process and their efforts to ensure that elections actually happen, a fact many take for granted.

                                                            Mark J. Crandley, Attorney/ Political Activist