11/4/08 (2010)

Any time the United States votes to elect a new president, a bit of history hangs in the balance, but the stakes seemed higher for many people on November 4, 2008, in which citizens went to the polls to chose between Barack Obama or John McCain as their leader for the next four years. With the possibility that America would elect its first African-American president, filmmaker Jeff Deutchman set out to document the mood around the nation (and around the world) as voters cast their ballots and waited to see the results. Deutchman asked friends with cameras to interview Obama volunteers, folks at the polls, or just people on the street and capture their reactions as they witnessed the big day as it unfolded, and in 11/4/08 he presents a sampling of the material submitted to him: expatriates in Europe ponder how Obama's election could change America's image around the world, many voters ponder their small but vital role in the election, and election workers feel the suspense as the ballots are counted. 11/4/08 was an official selection at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi