How Ohio pulled what off?
Documentary to run in Athens Film Festival
By Sarah Beth Hensley, Staff Writer
April 28, 2007 | 11:10 a.m.
The Athens Film Festival is sure to showcase some of the area's most unique films created by talented individuals. Ohio University’s own students Charla Barker, Matthew Kraus and Mariana Quiroga direct one such film, "How Ohio Pulled It Off."
This documentary is primarily based on the 2004 presidential election and documents what exactly happened in Ohio during that too-close-to-call election. It was an election for the commander in chief of the United States that came down to one state out of 50: Ohio. "How Ohio Pulled It Off" tells a tale of corruption and citizen response to their feeling of injustice within the Ohio voting system of that year.
This film also follows the Ohio gubernatorial race of 2006 between Ted Strickland and former Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell.
This project took form through a class within the film school in which students complete a feature film thesis project. However, this group of three chose to collaborate to make a full-length film while many others chose to make short films.
“It was the first time three people made a thesis together in the Ohio University School of Film,” stated Quiroga.
The class began in the winter of 2005 under the leadership of Professor Rajko Grlic and with the elections having just passed it seemed like a pertinent issue for the students to cover and for Ohioans to absorb. “We wanted to know what happened in Ohio and why people voted the way they did,” said Quiroga.
“It is very important to vote but it doesn’t matter if that vote doesn’t count,” said Barker.
With goals set high, these students were on a mission that lasted two and a half years, 13,000 miles and contained 300 hours of footage.
“We researched, interviewed, and traveled everywhere from Philadelphia to New York to Washington D.C.,” noted Barker.
Within their research they found that a lot of people didn’t vote for Bush, or felt that their vote did not count during the 2004 presidential election. The film also features testimonies of voters and tapes from the voting booths the day of the election; documents that speak volumes about the injustices that occurred on that fateful voting day.
“This film is an homage to the grassroots movement of Ohio. They truly believe in democracy and will fight for it; this is a tribute to them," said Quiroga.
With discrepancies about Ohio voting standards and possible scandals within the Republican party of Ohio, this film presents the facts as well as opinions of experts and testimonies of those affected. These worked to present a non-partisan production while articulating that there is a problem in the government that needs to be addressed. Barker said, “We present facts to let you decide.”
“In the system, there is a contrast between the way things are written versus how they play out in the field,” said Kraus. Quiroga, a Venezuelan citizen, took this as an opportunity to learn more about the American system of government, especially the electoral college voting process, which the film goes into detail about.
“As a foreigner I was amazed how complex the system is,” she said as her co-directors, both citizens of the United States, agreed on its complexity.
“I myself didn’t quite understand it previous to the film,” commented Barker.
Having to learn a complex government system is one issue; however, locating everyone that should be included in the documentary is another issue all together. Searching for interviewees, senators, experts, and willing representatives was one challenge these students had to overcome.
“In the beginning it was difficult to try and get a hold of Blackwell. His press secretary said no, so we moved on,” said Kraus. “We then asked to follow his campaign trail of 2006 and were granted permission. It gave us an opportunity to ask questions on camera and record his speeches alongside other news channels. It was even hard to find politicians who would admit there was a problem with the way that election was run.”
“Some officials were very responsive, while many other legislators or senators, especially Republicans, were inaccessible,” Barker said.
However difficult, the grassroots organizations and witnesses were most accessible and willing to share their opinion. Throughout their endeavor the directors noticed how the grassroots movement had revitalized by 2006 and how citizens were more aware of their voting rights and were willing to prevent another voting injustice from occurring.
Throughout this whole experience the three directors have remained good friends with hopes of working together in the future. They seek to uplift and inspire people through this documentary as well as remind citizens to keep a wary eye about the way their government is run.
“We want to show that people can make a difference and that if we don’t pay attention the same thing could happen in the 2008 presidential election,” Quiroga stated. "Citizen participation can change democracy. We must fight for our rights and if we don’t, the government can take it away.”
"How Ohio Pulled It Off" will debut at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville, tonight at 7 p.m. For more information about "How Ohio Pulled It Off" and to view the trailer visit their Web site.