1ST PLACE - Latest Generation Film Contest
1ST PLACE
The Many Faces of Lyndon Johnson
Wewish Mahawong
Claremont, California
1st PLACE
The Many Faces of Lyndon Johnson
Wewish Mahawong
Claremont, California
"Over the past few years, the United States has suffered from a prolonged deadlock in government. We are living in a period of greater public clamor for reform—yet the American government, and especially Congress, has often failed to respond to public activism. At the core of it, what motivated me to make this documentary is to tell a similar story which was playing out in the 1960s, when civil rights legislation lay deadlocked in Congress. President Lyndon B. Johnson, at first glance, seems like an unlikely subject to “think anew and act anew,” nor to take “bold action.” However, while reading Robert Caro’s authoritative series The Years of Lyndon Johnson, I realized Johnson was a master of the legislative process, and his many flaws—deception, dishonesty, and abrasiveness—served to make him a complex protagonist. In my documentary, I sought to convey the strength of Johnson’s leadership by bringing the audience into the historical moment. Apart from using snippets from contemporary interviews, speeches, and newspapers, I searched through an archive of Johnson’s telephone calls so I could present his essential role in persuading congressmen to vote to break the Southern filibuster. I also endeavored to show his true convictions: for instance, I excerpted the song “We Shall Overcome” to show its importance as the rallying cry of the civil rights movement, and to prove that Johnson’s use of it symbolized his embrace of the movement’s goals as his own. Johnson’s legacy endures today in the other landmark pieces of legislation he passed: Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, immigration reform—a sweeping agenda that maintained the American people’s trust in government until Johnson’s escalation of the Vietnam War dealt it a permanent blow. Thus, the primary message of this documentary is that the breaking of deadlock demands not merely rhetoric, but also bold action and legislative skill. Only then can a president respond adequately to a nation’s call for change."
Quotes From Reviewers:
"I could’ve watched another hour of this film. This filmmaker did a great job at keeping the viewer’s attention, inserting facts, intentional placement of Dr. Marinari’s interview, and a good ending!"
"Excellent archival support with effective organization, Strong sense of tone that invites viewer interest and engagement."