CIFF47: PSQ March 22 – April 1, 2023 | Streams April 2 – April 9, 2023

Boys State

Year: 2020
Country: United States
Run Time: 109 minutes

Boys State

The sensational winner of the Grand Jury Prize for documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival, BOYS STATE is a wildly entertaining and continually revealing immersion into a week-long annual program in which a thousand Texas high school seniors gather for an elaborate mock exercise: building their own state government. Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine closely track the escalating tensions that arise within a particularly riveting gubernatorial race, training their cameras on unforgettable teenagers like Ben, a Reagan-loving arch-conservative who brims with confidence despite personal setbacks, and Steven, a progressive-minded child of Mexican immigrants who stands by his convictions amidst the sea of red. In the process, they have created a complex portrait of contemporary American masculinity, as well as a microcosm of our often dispiriting national political divisions that nevertheless manages to plant seeds of hope. An Apple release.

CIFF44 Screenings

Saturday, April 04, 2020 at 3:50 PM

Sunday, April 05, 2020 at 7:05 PM

Accessibility (?)
Closed Captions: No
Audio Description: No
English Subtitles: No

Sidebar
Checks and Balances

Competitions
Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition

Directors
Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine

Producers
Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss

Cinematography
Thorsten Thielow

Editing
Jeff Gilbert

Film Contact
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