Acclaimed Documentary “THE YOUTH GOVERNOR” Directed by Matthew and Jaron Halmy – Gets Limited Theatrical and Begins VOD on Amazon and Apple TV on August 26

Posted by BK on August 1, 2022 in Arts, Events, Festival, film, premiere, Showcase | Leave a comment

Presents

THE YOUTH GOVERNOR

Directed by Matthew and Jaron Halmy
Executive Produced by Jason Blum

***In Theaters and on Amazon and Apple TV August 26***

About The Film THE YOUTH GOVERNOR
The Youth Governor is the story of the candidacy, campaign, and election of the 72nd California Youth Governor. In the halls of California’s Capitol, 4,000 teenagers run a fully functioning government complete with legislators, lobbyists, political party bosses, and elections. Over the course of four months, three candidates emerge from a field of 40. On the campaign trail, in their homes, and with their peers watching their every word, these young candidates put together the unique mix of ambition, confidence, shamelessness, and pure motivation it takes to win.

These young candidates see themselves as the heroic leaders that are nowhere around them. They feel burdened to solve the problems that their adult leaders have trouble addressing. Their story is a window into the world of young people who revere American democracy. The film follows these candidates as they throw themselves into the gauntlet of the electoral process.

This roller coaster of running for high office does not reveal itself through talking head interviews, but in the real-time dramatic experience of each young candidate. On the campaign trail, within their political parties, amongst their friends, in their homes with their families, and in their own quiet thoughts, we see the turmoil, the heartbreak, the elation, and a side of these young candidates that the American public rarely sees of its public servants: who they truly are.


About The Filmmakers Matthew and Jaron Halmy
Matthew and Jaron Halmy are an Emmy and PGA Award winning brother team. In tandem, they have experience in documentary filmmaking, commercial, and non-fiction filmmaking.

Artistic Approach
This is a vérité documentary. The approach was to have the lightest footprint possible as we captured these teens experiencing their lives at home and in the Youth and Government program. We built trust and relationships first before filming. Our personal connection to the program allowed us to understand the nuances of their experience. This familiarity allowed us to “fade” into the background while capturing authentic experiences.

We deployed a fly-on-the-wall approach along with strong and beautiful photography. We constantly strived to frame each person and location in an engaging and interesting way. The result is an immersive feel within the worlds of California Youth and Government. This immersion allows the viewer to enjoy the story on a visual as well as an emotional level. Since the world we are presenting is relatively unknown to the average viewer, a certain level of awe from the photography will heighten the magic and power of this governmental simulation. 

We avoided sit-down interviews as much as possible. The goal from pre-production was “immersive interviews” only, pulling our characters into an interview in the moment to obtain real-time emotions and impressions. We did audio only interviews to build intimacy and introspection from our characters.

Year 2022 | Runtime 86 minutes | Language English

Website: www.theyouthgovernor.com

About Greenwich Entertainment 

Founded in 2017, Greenwich Entertainment is an independent film distribution company specializing in distinctive, theatrical-quality narrative and documentary features.  Greenwich handled the record setting theatrical release of Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi’s Academy Award-Winning Documentary Free Solo , which grossed over $17M at the North American box office.  Other Greenwich releases include Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice from Oscar winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Andrew Slater’s Echo in the Canyon,  Isabel Coixet’s The Bookshop starring Emily Mortimer and Bill Nighy, Madeleine Olnek’s Wild Nights with Emily  starring Molly Shannon, and The Rescue directed by Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi.   www.GreenwichEntertainment.com

We would like to thank David Magdael & Associates for the press release and artist profile.