Written by Eric Holder, University of Georgia, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Public Relations department head, the Peabody Awards
ATHENS, Ga. — Nationally recognized documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler will present his Peabody award-winning film “Vote for Me: Politics in America” on Tuesday, Oct. 14, as the second installment of the Reel-to-Reel Film Series at the University of Georgia. The screening begins at 7 p.m. in the Seney-Stovall Chapel.
“Vote for Me” journeys through 30 states from the smallest local precincts all the way to the White House to explore what it really takes to run for public office in this country. The film was described as “a near landslide of an election special” by the Los Angeles Times, “a celebration of American politics” by the New York Daily News, as “marvelous and authentic” by USA Today, and as “poignant, provocative and often hilarious” by the Peabody Board.
Stekler earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University and now teaches in the Department of Radio and Television at the University of Texas, Austin. “The premise of ‘Vote for Me’ was that if one understood the actual electoral process and the culture of politics that surrounds election campaigns, then they`d better understand why we get the politicians and politics we do,” said Stekler.
Among the cast of characters is Maggie Lauterer, a folk singer turned local TV reporter turned Congressional candidate in the mountains of North Carolina, who has to learn what it takes to get a majority of her district to vote for her.
In addition to winning a Peabody Award for “Vote for Me” in 1996, Stekler was also honored for his 1990 production “Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads,” which the Peabody Board cited for “its use of archival footage as a model for documentarians everywhere.” Stekler’s works have been recognized by the Sundance Film Festival, Writers Guild of America and thee times by National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences among others.
The Reel-to-Reel Film Series is cosponsored by UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Center for Humanities and Arts, George Foster Peabody Awards and the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection. The films and programs featured this year all deal with some aspect of “The Path to Power” and showcase Peabody award-winning programs and entrants.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, go to Reel-to-Reel, or contact Eric Holder, 706-542-8983, eholder@uga.edu; or Ann Allen, 706-542-6221, allen@cviog.uga.edu.
###