Documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown does not court overtly political subjects, but her last two short projects couldn’t be more political — or timely — as the nation approaches one of the most hotly and divisively contested election days in recent history.
“I don’t go into projects looking to be political, really. It’s just turned out that way recently,” says Brown, speaking about her two most recent films, which she plans to screen tomorrow at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture beginning at 7:30 p.m. as the final installment of the season for MacDowell Downtown. Both films are about 10 minutes in length, and both deal adroitly with controversial subject matter.
“‘Never Trump.’ But Then What?” is an incisive and thought-provoking film shot at the annual RedState Gathering in Denver this past August for The New York Times. Filmed at one of the largest annual gatherings of conservatives in the country, “Never Trump” examines RedState leadership in crisis mode having refused to support the Republican standard bearer on moral grounds. Interviews with conservative leaders like Erick Erickson and Glenn Beck disclose the soul-searching questions left unanswered among those disillusioned this political season. Far from a liberal polemic, the film uncovers a genuine desire for renewed dialogue across philosophical lines.
“We knew it was going to be different,” Brown says of documenting the RedState Gathering. “We knew we had an opportunity to show something different, that wasn’t part of the mainstream media coverage of the political season. It was sort of shocking.”
Brown also will show “The Black Belt,” a study of regressive voting laws enacted by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley in 2015 when he closed 31 state Department of Motor Vehicles branches in primarily African-American counties. The DMV closures came one year after the state enacted legislation requiring photo identification at the voting booth. A lawsuit was later filed against the governor for suppressing Alabaman citizens’ right to vote. At the Dallas International Film Festival, “The Black Belt” won The Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film, and also was nominated for the Grand Jury Award at South by Southwest.
“The film shows why this doesn’t work,” Brown says of Alabama’s restrictive rules. Shot primarily in Selma, the site of the famous 1965 civil rights marches to the state capital, Brown says the film is really “a portrait of the place.” Brown worked on the final sound mix and color corrections during a prior MacDowell Fellowship.
Brown, who made a name for herself with the 2004 release “Be Here to Love Me,” a critically acclaimed feature documentary about the turbulent life of singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. In 2014, she released “The Great Invisible,” an examination of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion through the eyes of area residents, rig workers, and oil company executives. For MacDowell Downtown, Brown plans to talk about her filmmaking process, explain her approaches to different subjects, and take questions from the audience after the screenings. She also might touch on her current project, a feature-length screenplay based on her 2008 documentary “The Order of Myths.” That film looks at Mobile, Alabama’s long-standing tradition of holding racially segregated Mardi Gras celebrations each year.
With a total of seven directorial credits, Brown has carved out a style of filmmaking that reaches audience’s minds and hearts. Don’t miss tomorrow evening’s chance to meet the filmmaker and enjoy the last MacDowell Downtown in 2016. Doors open at the Monadnock Center’s Bass Hall at 7 p.m. with light refreshments and the program begins at 7:30 p.m.