“Race to Nowhere” is a Clever Topic-Based Film
I’m very excited to announce the premiere of Race to Nowhere, a film that I worked on as a story consultant. When I saw the first assembly last spring, the documentary-in-progress suffered from three big problems. First, director Vicki Abeles’ own strong story was only marginally present. Noting that Vicki was very compelling on camera as a concerned mom turned crusader for a more humane educational system, we beefed up her narrative arc throughout the film, making the midpoint the moment when she first realized that her kids’ insane homework schedule had to stop.
Second, this topic-based film needed to present its hard-hitting arguments in a more organized fashion, so the audience could follow the pattern of presentation. Editor and Co-Director Jessica Congdon and Abeles did a superb job segueing from one argument to the next, making clever use of b-roll and music to cushion all those talking heads.
Third, as many well-intentioned assembly cuts, this early pass suffered from a bit from a grating soapbox activism. So we cut the repetitive arguments, toned down the rhetoric and invited viewers with a call to action in a cleverly constructed denouement that gives specific recommendations for change. There are many more good things to say about Race to Nowhere, but I invite you to see it yourself. The documentary film premieres at the 32nd Mill Valley Film Festival on October 10 and 18. You can buy tickets at http://www.mvff.com/. This important and heart-touching documentary contributes greatly to the discussion of our nation’s education system.
