‘Texas, USA’ Political Documentary Director Andrew Morgan on New Film – The Hollywood Reporter

Five years ago, when Beto O’Rourke mounted a strong campaign to unseat Ted Cruz from the U.S. Senate, Democrats seemed hopeful that the political winds would shift in Texas and one day make it a purple state. He ultimately lost by 2.6 percent amid record midterm election turnout.

Since then, Democrats’ hopes of turning Texas into a swing state have diminished. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump made gains among Latino voters. And the state Legislature has become increasingly conservative, with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signing a slew of bills this year that include banning public universities from establishing DEI offices, banning transgender athletes from collegiate sports and limiting labor rights. In 2022, abortion was banned in the state after Roe v. United States was overturned. Wade.

The feature is directed by Untold Creative’s Andrew Morgan, who has previously addressed topics such as the working conditions of fashion workers around the world (2015). True Cost), and also directed the 2021 narrative drama. Samantha Rose – felt there was an underdog story to be told about politics in the state. But he decided his approach would be less about “rights being taken away” or “the blatant strengthening of right-wing forces,” he says.

Instead, Morgan’s new documentary Texas, USA, focuses on “the people I met who fought back,” as he puts it. They include three 2022 candidates: O’Rourke, who ran unsuccessfully for governor against Abbott; Greg Casar, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and is the first Latino elected to Congress from Austin; and Lina Hidalgo, who ran a successful campaign for district judge in Harris County, which includes Houston. She is the first woman and first Latina to hold this position.

The film, which was celebrated with a New York premiere hosted by Eco-Age’s Livia Firth and actress Julianne Moore on September 2nd. 19 – Also showcases a host of indomitable organizers such as Brianna Brown of the Texas Organizing Project; trans advocate Adri Prez of the Texas Freedom Network; criminal justice reform advocate Anthony Graves, an exonerated death row inmate; Tori Gavito of Way to Win; and village organizer Hannah Horikwho advocates legal abortion.

Morgan, whose film premiered Oct. 6 and is available on demand through platforms like Apple TV+ and Google Play, spoke with TPP about why he’s become less cynical about politics since filming the film and why he’s so worried about the 2024 presidential election.

How did you start creating Texas, USA?

I got a call from one of our producers who lives in Houston. Two years ago, just after the state legislature met and passed some of the most conservative laws in state history in the country. She called me and simply said, “I think there’s a story going on here. I think you should go down and check it out. And I went to Houston and met her and then spent time in a lot of other parts of the state over the next few weeks. I think for a long time I was interested in stories about people who fought for democracy, not in the abstract, but in reality, and about people who worked on things that cost money. It’s one thing to advocate for reproductive rights in West Hollywood. What’s it like to organize this in West Texas?

How do you hope the film will benefit audiences?

We’re following candidates and organizers throughout the 2022 election cycle. Some win, some lose. There is some elation, there is some grief. And I hope you are left with a sense of palpable hope and inspiration. Not optimism, but real, grounded, determined hope that I had never experienced before. Texas is a state that is more conservative on many levels than almost any place in America, and has truly become something of the epicenter of the conservative imagination in America. So to see people fighting at the heart of this establishment is really powerful.

What are some examples of the impact that people have portrayed in Texas, USA do?

Brianna Brown runs the Texas Organizing Project and they are campaigning to reach over a million Black voters. We see the shooting happen at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, but we also see thousands of people show up the next day before the NRA convention in Houston to protest it. In this campaign, Beto Rourke loses to Greg Abbott, but Beto’s campaign registers more new voters than any gubernatorial candidate in state history. These things have a long-term trajectory. This is a state that hasn’t had a Democrat in office for more than three decades. So the type of person that is involved in this fight and this struggle is just powerful and an inspiration to anyone who is working to make change anywhere where it doesn’t seem easy or inevitable. There is a powerful moment in the film when Greg Casar says, “This is our home.” We don’t give up.”

Has working on the film expanded your view of Texas?

Texas is one of the most diverse states in the country. Texas has more black voters than any other state in America. It’s a diverse, multicultural place, full of different thoughts and ideas. And to see the fact that it’s sort of boiled down to this very specific narrow view of race and gender is really an oversimplification. It’s such a powerful thing to see through the lens of Brianna Brown, who has a great line in the film where she says, “Part of our job is to help people understand that it doesn’t have to be this way.” Much of the film is simply an attempt to give a sense of what Texas could be and what America could be.

How do you feel about the idea that Texas might be on the purple trend by now?

Part of what I think many of us got wrong about this was that there was a feeling that as it diversified as a state it would inevitably lead to democracy, which I think we’ve thought a lot about as a country for a long time . . And what you see in the film is that Brianna has a line where she says, “The only way to move forward in the state is to build meaningful and lasting relationships with black voters.” In her case, this is the one through whom she works. Sometimes I think it’s very easy to sit in the cheap seats and look at history as this inevitable step towards more and more inclusion and progress. And the reality is that anyone who studies history closely knows that it took an incredible amount of work. It took people who decided to participate in this process. And that’s where we are right now. And we’re here at a time when many people in this country don’t believe the policy is working. They don’t believe it. And when you give up on that idea, which I completely understand, you feel incredibly defeated. You are simply giving in to the status quo.

How did you put this film together?

We made the film completely on our own. So we went out and raised money like we did with all of our films, independent equity-based investment, which in this case was a huge number of people putting in small amounts, and it was fantastic because it gives us the opportunity make the film we want to make. A huge part of the struggle in the beginning was convincing everyone to give us access. I went and sat in Brianna Brown’s kitchen in Dallas. I went and begged Beto. We came from outside, so we had to build that trust. And then yes, we did it. We continued to raise funds as we went along.

How did making the film influence you?

I’m less cynical than when I walked in. I’m more inspired than when I walked in. Because I think when you see people doing this kind of work for money in a place where it’s not easy, it makes you want to do the same thing, it makes you wonder, “Who am I not to do this?”

You’re a filmmaker, not a political prognosticator, but having made a film and been immersed in it for years, how do you feel about next year and the presidential election?

There is a sense of apathy on the part of the Democratic Party and Democratic voters that concerns me deeply. I think there’s a sense that we’ve beaten back some of the worst things about Trump and election denial. And the thing is, it’s stronger than ever. And it’s getting more organized than ever. I just don’t think it should be taken lightly. So I just want people to take this more seriously next year. There’s obviously a lot at stake, but I just think there’s a lot of things that have room to grow when there’s a lot of apathy.