American Blackout
Encyclopedia
American Blackout is a documentary film
directed by Ian Inaba
. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival
. The film chronicles the 2002 defeat, and 2004 reelection, of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
to the U.S. House of Representatives; it also discusses issues surrounding alleged voter disenfranchisement and the use of voting machines in both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
The film focuses heavily on McKinney, and claims that her 2002 loss in a Democratic primary to Denise Majette
(who, like McKinney, is African-American
) was part of an effort to disenfranchise minority voters. McKinney claims that Republican voters in her district tipped the primary election to Majette. This itself is legal, as Georgia law opens primaries to all voters irrespective of party. After losing, McKinney filed a lawsuit claiming that open primaries are a violation of the 14th Amendment
, but a court dismissed the case.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Ian Inaba
Ian Inaba
Ian Inaba is an American film and music video director, producer, and journalist for the Guerrilla News Network.-Music videos:Inaba directed the music videos for "Mosh" by Eminem and "Time and Time Again" by Chronic Future...
. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. The film chronicles the 2002 defeat, and 2004 reelection, of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
to the U.S. House of Representatives; it also discusses issues surrounding alleged voter disenfranchisement and the use of voting machines in both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
The film focuses heavily on McKinney, and claims that her 2002 loss in a Democratic primary to Denise Majette
Denise Majette
Denise L. Majette is a Democratic U.S. politician from the state of Georgia.Born in Brooklyn, she attended Yale University and completed a Juris Doctor degree at Duke University in 1979...
(who, like McKinney, is African-American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
) was part of an effort to disenfranchise minority voters. McKinney claims that Republican voters in her district tipped the primary election to Majette. This itself is legal, as Georgia law opens primaries to all voters irrespective of party. After losing, McKinney filed a lawsuit claiming that open primaries are a violation of the 14th Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
, but a court dismissed the case.
See also
- List of American films of 2006
- Civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
- Voting rights
- Guerrilla News NetworkGuerrilla News NetworkGuerrilla News Network, Inc. was a privately owned news web site and television production company that declared as its mission to "expose people to important global issues through cross-platform guerrilla programming." This was accomplished through the production of original articles, reporting...
- Hacking DemocracyHacking DemocracyHacking Democracy is a 2006 documentary film by producer Robert Carrillo Cohen and producer / directors Russell Michaels and Simon Ardizzone, shown on HBO...