Both in political and film appreciation circles it seems that conservative groups, or those marketing to them, have been far more successful in attracting large amounts of people to gather in one place, usually a church setting, to hear candidates or watch movies that appeal to their sensibilities. The film The Passion of the Christ was a great example of niche movie marketing that drove box office of the Mel Gibson-directed film, one entirely in Aramaic and Latin, off the charts.  Not to be outshined, the Southpaws of politics have decided that perhaps those Righties know what they’re doing and have decided to duplicate their successes.  The national organization, Ironweed Films, is such a progressive group that is trying to bring like-minded people together in non-traditional ways to rally around political issues, and movie screenings seem to be an easy method to test.

Next week, voters around the country – from D.C. and Decatur to St. Petersburg to Seattle — will gather in homes, halls, dorms, and theaters for the first-ever “Progressive Movie Night Week” (April 23-30).  The events will showcase the 2006 Oscar-nominated film, Street Fight, about the hard-fought 2002 Newark, NJ mayoral race. Following the screenings, guests will discuss the film with neighbors and local progressive candidates at the federal and local level, and their hope is that they will be as successful as conservative groups with a similar strategy.  

Ironweed Films founder Adam Werbach made history as the youngest-ever elected president of the Sierra Club at age 23 and is now heading up this effort.  Similar liberal-leaning media efforts, such as Air America radio, haven’t been too successful, but if it worked for Mel, it can work for others, no matter which way they hold a bat.  If you’d like to be part of a gathering, go to Ironweed Films’ website to see about participating in next week’s gatherings.

Rich Burlingham