Critical Sarah Palin documentary to make September debut
Just months after the Iowa premiereof the pro-Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated," the world will get a glimpse of the former Alaska Governor from a different - and likely more critical - cinematic perspective: In September, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield, who directed "Kurt & Courtney" and "Biggie & Tupac," will debut "Sarah Palin - You Betcha!" at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which runs from Sept. 8-18.
Unlike the flattering portrait of Palintouted in "The Undefeated," which was made with the former vice presidential candidate's cooperation by a conservative filmmaker, Broomfield's goal was "cracking her story," as a release for the film put it, even though "people are frightened to talk."
"Nick Broomfield's quest for the real Sarah Palin involves battling the icy snows of Alaska in mid-winter to speak to the school friends, family, and Republican colleagues that in previous days gave their heart, soul and belief to the charismatic, charming, intoxicating ex-hockey mom," reads the documentary's blurb on the TIFF website.
"But it's not all plain sailing," the statement continues. "People are frightened to talk; Wasilla makes Twin Peaks look like a walk in the park."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film features interviews with Palin's friends, family members, and former colleagues in the Alaska legislature. It's said to take a critical look at her rise in the political world.
In a clip from the film (see above), former Alaska legislative director John Bitney describes the former governor as "very unengaged in the conversation" during legislative meetings. "She wasn't listening," he says.
"I never felt that Sarah was ever connected to the business in the building," adds former state senate president Lyda Green, also featured in the clip. "It was always, I thought, a rather cursory attendance when she was there, a lack of interest, and she generally had her two blackberries, and was texting most of the time."
Watch a clip from the documentary below:
