Past Film/Video | Documentaries

Represent

(Hillary Bachelder, 2020)

Stream | Columbus Premiere

Mayoral candidate Myya Jones sits on a bench in a waiting room

Three women from the Midwest (including Granville, Ohio) run for elected office with the goal of improving their communities—only to discover the entrenched politics of even our “smallest” elections.

A remarkable feature debut for documentary director Hillary Bachelder, Represent follows these very different individuals who hope to make a difference while reshaping local politics on their own terms. Still in her 20s, college student Myya D. Jones runs to unseat the incumbent mayor of Detroit while inviting millennials and marginalized communities into the conversation. Julie Cho balances her identities as a Korean immigrant, woman of color, and Republican candidate for State Representative in a Democrat suburb of Chicago. A farmer based in Granville, Ohio (just 30 minutes from the Wex) seeking election as Township Trustee, Bryn Bird finds herself running against the quaint college town’s only other woman in office.

A reminder of the importance of these elections, Represent shifts the lens away from the White House to shine a light on the unsung heroes at the heart of local politics. Produced by the Chicago-based Kartemquin Films (known for such outstanding documentaries as Hoop Dreams and Minding the Gap), the film’s theatrical run coincides with the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which promises freedom from gender-based discrimination in determining the right to vote. (93 mins., digital video) In English; closed captioning available.

Mayoral candidate Myya Jones sits on a bench in a waiting room

Myya Jones in Represent, image courtesy of Music Box Films

A cameraperson films mayoral candidate Myya Jones while she talks on a phone in front of a campaign sign

Myya Jones in Represent, image courtesy of Music Box Films

A shot of Bryn Bird with a child on her lap

Bryn Bird in Represent, image courtesy of Music Box Films

A close-up of Julie Cho looking off in the distance

Julie Cho in Represent, image courtesy of Music Box Films

Director Hillary Bachelder focuses her camera

Director Hillary Bachelder, image courtesy of Music Box Films

MADE POSSIBLE BY
Greater Columbus Arts Council
Ohio Arts Council
American Electric Power Foundation
The Columbus Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Nationwide Foundation

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Huntington Bank
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Kaufman Development
Cardinal Health Foundation

 

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Past Film/Video

Represent