RUN LIKE THE DEVIL. Press Kit

Transcription

1 RUN LIKE THE DEVIL Press Kit press contacts: Richelle Fatheree (producer) / contact@runlikethedevil2018.com Steve Mims (director) / stevemims@earthlink.net 1

2 RUN LIKE THE DEVIL Press Kit 2 The amazing inside story of the most important Texas election in 26 years. Despite all odds, Democrat Beto O Rourke has pulled within single digits in the polls in his attempt to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. Can a wildly unconventional campaign and centerleft candidate pick off a senate seat in ultra-conservative Texas? Moreover, how did two men, both Ivy League educated and virtually the same age, come to be who they are? RUN LIKE THE DEVIL reveals their stories and lays bare their diametrically opposite views of governing and of the world itself. Synopsis RUN LIKE THE DEVIL documents the 2018 senate race between Ted Cruz and Beto O Rourke. A nonpartisan deep dive that goes beyond the political campaign, the film threads the stories of the candidates with those of their respective political parties during a historic period of national political tumult. Participants include O Rourke, Cruz, Evan Smith (CEO, Texas Tribune), Mark McKinnon (political consultant), David Richards (Ann Richard s ex-husband and redistricting litigator), Bob Moore (former editor, El Paso Times), Joshua Houston (Texas Impact Attorney) and others. The film premieres in Austin on Thursday, September 6, 2018 and will tour cities across Texas. (run time: 59 minutes) Screenings (as of August 13, 2018) Thursday, Sept. 6 Friday, Sept. 7 Sunday, Sept. 9 Monday, Sept. 10 Thursday, Sept. 13 Saturday, Sept. 15 Monday, Sept. 17 Saturday, Sept. 22 Monday, Sept. 24 Thursday, Oct. 11 Oct Sunday, Oct. 21 AUSTIN / Austin Film Society / Austin Cinema / 7:00 pm AUSTIN / Austin Film Society / AFS / 6:30 pm NACOGDOCHES / Liberty Hall / 4:30 pm TYLER / Liberty Hall / 7:00 pm HOUSTON / The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston / 7:00 pm EL PASO / El Paso Film Festival / 9:00 pm HUNTSVILLE / Old Town Theater / 7:00 pm LUBBOCK / Flatland Film Festival McALLEN / Cine El Rey Theater / 7:00 pm WICHITA FALLS / Midwestern State University / 7:00 pm DALLAS / Dallas Video Festival DocuFest FORT WORTH / Sunday Cinema Series / 7:00 pm Trailer Website Facebook

3 RUN LIKE THE DEVIL Press Kit Stills: Beto O Rourke, Ted Cruz, Beto O Rourke campaigns in Brady, Texas. ( 2018 Long Shot Films) 3

4 RUN LIKE THE DEVIL Press Kit 4 Director s Statement In August of 2010 I was working on a documentary that found me out in front of the Texas capitol filming a Tea Party rally that focused on denouncing Barack Obama. One of the speakers that day was Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz. I had never heard of him at the time and he was largely unknown statewide. In a fiery speech he fervently called for ending the Affordable Care Act and for defeating the president in The event (which is included in this current documentary) made a huge impression on me. By 2012 Cruz had become a Tea Party hero. He surprised pundits when he toppled a mainstream Republican to win the nomination to run for U.S. Senate. Then he buried his Democratic opponent in a landslide victory in the general election. I felt then that the election had unfolded with little examination of both Cruz and opponent Paul Saddler on film and in television. When I picked up a copy of the Austin American Statesman in late 2016 and read that U.S. Representative Beto O Rourke of El Paso was considering a run for Cruz s senate seat I took an interest. On March 31, 2017 I traveled to El Paso to film his campaign announcement. Off and on from that day until as late as August 2, 2018 I filmed and edited material for the film that has become RUN LIKE THE DEVIL. The film is an honest effort to make a non-partisan film about the two candidates, their personal stories, their beliefs, their respective parties and some of the most controversial issues in the campaign. The film is independently funded. An ambitious Kickstarter campaign failed, but enough people donated to our project via a fiscal sponsorship through the Austin Film Society that we were able to cover most expenses for making the film. I work as a part-time Lecturer in film at UT Austin and as a freelance writer/director/cinematographer. I have my own gear and I also edit. My hours shooting and editing on this film are donated to the film as a civic commitment on my part and is also a reflection of my love of doing the job of work that is making a film. Crucial in this effort is producer Richelle Fatheree. Early on we had help from Austin attorney Reid Nelson. Like all projects, the very best part of the process is going to places you d otherwise never go and meeting people you would never meet. Meeting Beto and his family was a true pleasure, as was getting to pick the brains of everyone else who was generous enough to make time for an interview. Ted Cruz s staff kindly worked with us to schedule an interview where he answered all our questions without clearing them in advance. In the end I think the film is as honest a portrait of the two candidates as I can make. There is much in the film that will be uneasy for partisans and which will anger some people. I think there is real utility in that and I hope it fosters frank discussions that otherwise might not happen.

5 RUN LIKE THE DEVIL Press Kit 5 Steve Mims, director/cinematographer/editor photo credit: Inti St. Clair Clio Award winning commercial director and independent filmmaker Steve Mims work has screened internationally in festivals, theatrically and on television. His 2016 New York Times Critic s Pick STARVING THE BEAST documented the systematic defunding and radical reform of public universities across America. The Los Angeles Times: called it a jolt of chilling clarity. Variety: polished and provocative. The Village Voice: Alarming a strong narrative with compelling cinematography. 93% Fresh, Rotten Tomatoes (RT) His documentary INCENDIARY: THE WILLINGHAM CASE (2011) [co-directed by Joe Bailey, Jr.] won the 2011 SXSW Louis Black Award, the 2012 Innocence Network Journalism Award and the 2013 Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Media Award. Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post called INCENDIARY: Nonfiction filmmaking at its most classic. Crime, punishment, morality and hardball politics make for an explosive mix all their own. (83% Fresh, RT) Variety s Justin Chang wrote of his feature length narrative comedy ARLO & JULIE (2015):...this comic mystery is a low-key, low-budget charmer. (100% Fresh, RT) His 2016 viral political ad ELECT GERALD PLEASE was viewed 9 million times and won 11 local, national and international awards including a Lone Star EMMY Award.

6 RUN LIKE THE DEVIL Press Kit 6 Richelle Fatheree, producer Richelle most recently worked as an associate producer of STARVING THE BEAST and INCENDIARY: THE WILLINGHAM CASE. She served as executive producer of the comedy feature ARLO AND JULIE. She is currently producing the political documentary RUN LIKE THE DEVIL and the comedy web series DISTANCE. Her business background includes establishing Fit for the Dogs, one of the first allnatural dog biscuit bakeries and Propinquity, a cause-marketing firm catering to small businesses and low budget nonprofits. Her experience organizing and fundraising for nonprofits includes the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, Women s National Democratic Club, Sidwell Friends School and Arizona State University Men s Lacrosse. She is a proud member of Women in Film and Video-DC and the Independent Filmmaker Project. Richelle earned a B.A. in Economics from American University. Interview subjects: Ted Cruz Harvey Kronberg, The Quorum Report Joshua Houston, Senior Counsel, Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy/Texas Impact Mark McKinnon, political advisor Robert Moore, former editor, El Paso Times Beto O Rourke Melissa O Rourke (Beto s mom) David Richards, attorney Jesse Rogers, voter, Palestine, Texas Amy Hoover Sanders (Beto s wife) Evan Smith, CEO, Texas Tribune