The Guardian
Nick Broomfield film casts critical eye on Sarah Palin
'Critical' film to compete with authorised Palin documentary
By Ben Child
He's tackled Kurt Cobain, Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur and Heidi Fleiss. Now British documentary-maker Nick Broomfield has turned his attention to Sarah Palin, darling of the American right and potential candidate for a US presidential run next year.
Broomfield's as-yet-untitled film reportedly offers a critical examination of the former US Republican vice presidential candidate via interviews with her parents, friends and ex-colleagues from his subject's time as governor of Alaska. It is due to be screened in Los Angeles next week for potential buyers, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
A trailer for the film features interviews with former Alaska legislative director John Bitney and former state senate president Lyda Green, both of whom describe an "unengaged" Palin who made of a habit of texting on her mobile during important meetings and legislative sessions.
"I never felt that Sarah was ever connected to the business that was going on in the Capitol," says Green, a Republican who retired from politics two years ago. "It was always, I thought, a rather cursory attendance when she was there; lack of interest, and she'd generally have her two Blackberries and was texting most of the time."
The influential US independent film producer Cassian Elwes last week tweeted: "Just saw nick broomfield's film on sarah palin. Wow. Its going to change the presidential race."
Broomfield's film arrives on the scene just as another, very different Palin documentary is due to receive its world premiere. The Undefeated has been put together by Stephen Bannon with the full support of the US politician. It reportedly presents her as a Joan of Arc-like figure, beset by vicious leftwing enemies seeking to thwart her attempts to revive Reagan's conservative legacy.
The Undefeated debuts tomorrow at the historic Pella Opera House in Iowa, with Palin herself in attendance. It features interviews from Palin supporters, both residents of Alaska and conservative bloggers such as Andrew Breitbart. Palin herself does not appear on screen, but reportedly arranged access to some of the interviewees. Iowa is the site of the first US presidential primary, and is seen as an important indicator of election success for candidates. The Undefeated's premiere implies an attempt to build a groundswell of support for a Palin presidential run.
Broomfield is known for working with minimal crew, often in a "gonzo" reporting style. His Palin film is the film-maker's first documentary feature since 2006's His Big White Self, about the South African far-right leader Eugene Terre'Blanche, which was screened on More4. The film-maker's two most recent features, 2006's Ghosts and 2007's Battle for Haditha, adopted a docudrama approach, using untrained actors to play themselves in dramatic roles.
Broomfield's films have attracted controversy in the past. An interview with Courtney Love, ex-partner of the late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain, for the documentary Kurt and Courtney, was so damning that Love successfully campaigned for the movie to be removed from the lineup for the 1998 Sundance film festival. A version was eventually screened in cinemas without any of Nirvana's music, after Love refused to allow it to be used.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jun/27/nick-broomfield-film-sarah-palin
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