STATE LEGISLATURE
by Frederick Wiseman
2007, 217 minutes, 16mm. Distributed by Zipporah Films; special thanks to Karen Konicek and Anna Moore.
NEW YORK THEATRICAL PREMIERE!
Anthology is proud to present the first theatrical screenings in New York City of legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman’s most recent film, the latest in his systematic investigation into the various institutions through which American society functions.
Over the course of his 40-year career, Wiseman has sought to reveal the underlying power dynamics of American society by investigating the impact of social institutions on individuals. Shot during the 2004 session of the Idaho legislature, his new film reveals the day-to-day aspects of the legislative process, capturing how decisions are made and power is exercised, while illustrating the constraints and limitations of that power and its effects on the people who exercise it. With characteristic focus and thematic complexity, Wiseman examines the role of lobbyists, the power of committee chairmen, the strategic use of procedural maneuvers and the ways in which debates and discussions reveal the various ideological motivations at play. Quietly fascinating and deceptively dramatic, STATE LEGISLATURE illuminates the almost infinite ways in which the democratic process behind legislative decisions affects our daily lives.
“Is it possible to film the idea of democracy? What becomes clear through Wiseman’s method of observation and montage, without interviews and commentary, is the arduous interpersonal process of democratic decision-making itself. Quite incidentally he shows a distillation of white, Christian America, which for many has lost its attractiveness as a healing exporter of values. Even so, American society can no more be reduced to catchwords than the term ‘rogue nation’ would accurately describe a large part of the Islamic world. Wiseman’s observational gesture shows that it is worth taking a closer look to understand complex contexts and to allow for contradictions.” –Anna Hoffmann, BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL
Anthology is proud to present the first theatrical screenings in New York City of legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman’s most recent film, the latest in his systematic investigation into the various institutions through which American society functions.
Over the course of his 40-year career, Wiseman has sought to reveal the underlying power dynamics of American society by investigating the impact of social institutions on individuals. Shot during the 2004 session of the Idaho legislature, his new film reveals the day-to-day aspects of the legislative process, capturing how decisions are made and power is exercised, while illustrating the constraints and limitations of that power and its effects on the people who exercise it. With characteristic focus and thematic complexity, Wiseman examines the role of lobbyists, the power of committee chairmen, the strategic use of procedural maneuvers and the ways in which debates and discussions reveal the various ideological motivations at play. Quietly fascinating and deceptively dramatic, STATE LEGISLATURE illuminates the almost infinite ways in which the democratic process behind legislative decisions affects our daily lives.
“Is it possible to film the idea of democracy? What becomes clear through Wiseman’s method of observation and montage, without interviews and commentary, is the arduous interpersonal process of democratic decision-making itself. Quite incidentally he shows a distillation of white, Christian America, which for many has lost its attractiveness as a healing exporter of values. Even so, American society can no more be reduced to catchwords than the term ‘rogue nation’ would accurately describe a large part of the Islamic world. Wiseman’s observational gesture shows that it is worth taking a closer look to understand complex contexts and to allow for contradictions.” –Anna Hoffmann, BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL
There are no future showings scheduled.