If there is a political equivalent to Kanye West, as well-known for his dramatic flair as for his talent, it is Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama’s chief of staff. At a political roast in 2005, Obama joked that when Emanuel lost part of his middle finger in a work accident years ago, it “rendered him practically mute.”
In January of that year, Emanuel began his move into the national spotlight when he was chosen to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the congressional elections. It was, to continue the Kanye analogy, his version of “The College Dropout.”
Those elections are the subject of the documentary “HouseQuake,” which was directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Karen Elizabeth Price, screening Sunday at the Majestic Crest Theater in Westwood, followed by a panel discussion as part of Brainstorm Media’s “Something to Talk About” documentary series.
“It was back during the second Bush term, so Republicans had control of everything,” Price said. “They had control of the House, the Senate and the presidency. Democrats were in, I guess you could say, a pretty bad mood.”
“Then Nancy Pelosi appointed Rahm Emanuel to become the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.”
For Price, whose father is Congressman David Price from North Carolina’s Fourth District, that meant it was time to turn on the cameras. “HouseQuake” follows seven races in the House of Representatives, all involving a Democratic candidate challenging a Republican incumbent.
“It’s very challenging to follow campaigns around; it’s kind of like following celebrities around,” Price said. “They keep an extraordinarily busy schedule, so sometimes you just need to drop everything and be somewhere.”
In order to follow both the Democratic and Republican candidates in those races and the action in Washington, D.C., Price’s team had to spread itself across the country on a budget of about half a million dollars. Twenty camera teams filmed on election night, coordinated by Aymae Sulick, a producer and director of photography.
“At one point, I had a camera in one hand and was shooting behind-the-scenes of the Brad Ellsworth campaign on election night, and in the other hand I had my cell phone and was trying to talk to someone who was at a different election night who thought they might get thrown out,” Sulick said. “It was quite the juggling act.”
That night, the Democrats won back 31 seats in the House, regaining the majority there and in the Senate; five of the seven races shown in the film went to the Democrats. The story will likely be recounted often in the coming months as the November congressional elections approach.
“The interest level is very high now because Republicans are now in the situation the Democrats were in in 2006,” Price said. “The situation has completely reversed itself: The Democrats are in control of everything, which is actually kind of remarkable. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that.”
“HouseQuake” will be the fourth film in the “Something to Talk About” series. Future installments include “Tapestries of Hope,” about a service that rescues battered women in Zimbabwe, and “BoardHeads,” about the use of board sports in social causes around the world. An event is made of each screening, followed by release of the films on Video on Demand, television and video game consoles.
According to Ari Rutenberg, the series’ producer, “Something To Talk About” focuses on independent documentaries that will leave people feeling inspired and proactive. He said “HouseQuake” is a fascinating film about the political campaign process, particularly relevant for the coming elections.
“In the 24-hour (political news) culture, there’s certainly a thirst for all things controversial, and Rahm Emanuel is certainly that,” Rutenberg said. “It’s certainly a fascinating movie, and I think it’ll be a fascinating discussion.”