The Audacity of Democracy
Encyclopedia
The Audacity of Democracy is an independent documentary film
produced by Lorenda Starfelt
and directed by Brad Mays
for LightSong Films in North Hollywood. The film, which was shot in New York City
, Washington, D.C.
; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas and Austin, Texas
; and Denver, Colorado
is an in-depth look at the P.U.M.A. (People United Means Action
) movement in general and one of its most controversial leaders, Darragh Murphy, in particular.
Brad Mays quickly came under fire from various online pro-Obama blogs, citing conflict-of-interest due to the production having been financed by PUMA-Pac itself. A vociferously anti-PUMA site called StupidPumas posted a paged entitled Stupid Brad Mays, criticizing the filmmaker for not doing proper investigative work on the PUMA movement. Mays acknowledged these concerns, while maintaining that the film would be an objective account of what he saw and heard during the Democratic primary. About a week before the Democratic convention in Denver, all of Mays' camera equipment was stolen while en route to Chicago. Although most of the gear was eventually replaced, the crucial Chicago shoot was seriously compromised.
When Mays decided, fore the sake of balance, to film interviews with internet journalist Tommy Christopher, an outspoken critic of the PUMA movement, the rank and file of the PUMA movement quickly denounced the filmmaker, distancing themselves from the entire project. In multiple subsequent Blog-Radio interviews, Brad Mays has expressed extreme dissatisfaction with his film, revealing that he had not been allowed to complete shooting in the manner originally agreed to, adding that many of the PUMA members who had decided to switch their support to John McCain did not care for the way their new-found Republican leanings played onscreen. According to a WordPress.com announcement for the movie, "this two hour film offers a sympathetic yet unflinching look at a genuine grass-roots political action group determined, for good or ill, to change the course of American history."
Citing alleged electoral malfeasance including caucus fraud on the part of rival candidate Barack Obama's juggernaut campaign, PUMA attempted, without success, to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination for their candidate of choice, Senator
and former First Lady
Hillary Clinton.
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...
produced by Lorenda Starfelt
Lorenda Starfelt
Lorenda Starfelt was an award-winning independent film producer, as well as a committed political activist and blogger who famously dug up president Barack Obama's in an August 1961 edition of The Honolulu Advertiser while researching her documentary on the 2008 presidential election...
and directed by Brad Mays
Brad Mays
Brad Mays is an independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California.-Background and education:...
for LightSong Films in North Hollywood. The film, which was shot in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas and Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
; and Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
is an in-depth look at the P.U.M.A. (People United Means Action
People United Means Action
PUMA was a political action committee in the United States that opposed the Democratic Party leadership and the nomination of Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for President in the 2008 presidential election. PUMA began as an effort of supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton who...
) movement in general and one of its most controversial leaders, Darragh Murphy, in particular.
Brad Mays quickly came under fire from various online pro-Obama blogs, citing conflict-of-interest due to the production having been financed by PUMA-Pac itself. A vociferously anti-PUMA site called StupidPumas posted a paged entitled Stupid Brad Mays, criticizing the filmmaker for not doing proper investigative work on the PUMA movement. Mays acknowledged these concerns, while maintaining that the film would be an objective account of what he saw and heard during the Democratic primary. About a week before the Democratic convention in Denver, all of Mays' camera equipment was stolen while en route to Chicago. Although most of the gear was eventually replaced, the crucial Chicago shoot was seriously compromised.
When Mays decided, fore the sake of balance, to film interviews with internet journalist Tommy Christopher, an outspoken critic of the PUMA movement, the rank and file of the PUMA movement quickly denounced the filmmaker, distancing themselves from the entire project. In multiple subsequent Blog-Radio interviews, Brad Mays has expressed extreme dissatisfaction with his film, revealing that he had not been allowed to complete shooting in the manner originally agreed to, adding that many of the PUMA members who had decided to switch their support to John McCain did not care for the way their new-found Republican leanings played onscreen. According to a WordPress.com announcement for the movie, "this two hour film offers a sympathetic yet unflinching look at a genuine grass-roots political action group determined, for good or ill, to change the course of American history."
Citing alleged electoral malfeasance including caucus fraud on the part of rival candidate Barack Obama's juggernaut campaign, PUMA attempted, without success, to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination for their candidate of choice, Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and former First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Hillary Clinton.