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Be inspired to get into the streets this election season as you follow an all-volunteer led organization go door to door to curb gerrymandering: The act of drawing district lines to lock in partisan advantage. Slay the Dragon chronicles the civic grit turning the tide in the battle for US democracy.  

Synopsis

 

Join us for an exclusive HRW Film Festival Film Club presentation of Slay the Dragon + Q&A. Here's how to view the film:

1) RSVP using the "Take Part" link to the right of this page. Tickets to watch are free in the US. If you are participating from other regions, you can register for the event to gain access to the Q&A, and then rent the film here on the service of your choice.

2) You will be emailed the private link to view the film when it becomes "live" May 15. Watch the film any time between May 15-17 from the comfort of your own home, or better yet, follow this timeline to join in the fun simultaneously with Human Rights Watch staff and friends around the world -

Sunday, May 17
4:00pm PDT/ 7:00pm EDT/ 6:00pm CDT  - Tune in to watch Slay the Dragon from the comfort of your sofa
5:41 PDT/ 8:41pm EDT/ 7:41pm CDT- 10 minute break - get your questions ready and re-fill your beverage
6:00 PDT / 9:00 pm EDT/ 8:00pm PDT - Register to Join us for a live Q&A on BlueJeansEvents featuring  film subject Katie Fahey, Executive Director of The People, Human Rights Watch US Program Advocacy Officer Dreisen Heath, Jamal Watkins, Vice President of Civic Engagement, NAACP moderated by Gerry Johnson, Communications Editor and Senior Strategist, Human Rights Watch. 

 

Film description: 

As the country turns its eyes and leaps into action ahead of the upcoming 2020 US election - record numbers of people are registering to vote. Wide-scale civic participation from every community is crucial to a healthy democracy. With this in mind, lawmakers are employing tactics to give their candidates the advantage - in many cases, all but ensuring a victory for their side - even without gaining the highest number of votes. Drawing district lines to lock in a partisan electoral advantage was once an accepted form of political gamesmanship. Now “gerrymandering” is an immensely powerful weapon of partisan advantage, creating an unresponsive and unaccountable government. But ahead of the 2020 elections and a new round of redistricting, voters are fighting back. Be inspired to get into the streets this election season and take action, as you follow the all-volunteer lead “Voters not Politicians” as they go door to door to gain support for policy change in Michigan to curb gerrymandering in their state.

With exclusive access to the legal team that brought the most important voting rights case in a generation to the Supreme Court in October 2018, Slay the Dragon chronicles the civic grit that is turning the tide in the battle for the legitimacy of US democracy. 

Credits

Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance

Directors

Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance have directed several films together, including Clinton for PBS’s American Experience, and the six-part series Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. Separately and together, they have won numerous Peabody, Emmy®, and Writers Guild Awards, and an Academy Award® nomination.